Update: Perpetrator of Medjugorje Vandalism Identified
On the night of 27 to 28 July 2026, a scandalous desecration occurred on Apparition Hill in Medjugorje. Among the offences, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was tagged with a blasphemous inscription, the altar of St James' church was set on fire, and a banner with aggressive messaging to the Medjugorje seers was hung up. Police have identified a Polish national who had been a pilgrim at Medjugorje back in 2017, but since then his life had taken a difficult turn "personally and spiritually". The local Catholic community have responded urging for prayers and forgiveness for the suspect, rather than judgement.
On the night of 27 to 28 July 2026, the man entered the shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace on Apparition Hill in Medjugorje, vandalising the statue of the Virgin Mary with profane inscriptions and deliberately setting fire to the altar of St James' church. From images, it appears that black paint was used to write the profane inscriptions in English, Polish, and Croation which read "devil in a skirt." The perpetrator also used the paint to black-out the face of the Virgin Mary, and wrote a reference to the scripture passage in Jeremiah 14:12-42, part of which condemns false prophets and visions. Further, a large banner was left naming each of the Medjugorie seers and writing "fraudsters, I have proof."
Along with the vandalism, the perpetrator set fire to the altar of the shrine by pouring what appeared to be flammable oil around the sanctuary before setting it alight, causing extensive damage.
The parish office of Medjugorje issued a statement saying that it was "with great sadness that we received the news of the act of vandalism that damaged the prayer areas of our parish." With vigilance, the parish states that will being "immediately...cleaning and repairing the damage so that all area could be once again prepared with dignity for prayer." Further in the statement, the parish encourages all the faithful to respond with "prayers, fasting, and forgiveness," and to pray for those who committed the act of desecration to have a "conversion of heart."
UPDATE: According to a report from 29 July, a large-scale police investigation prompted the arrest of a 31-year-old Polish national believed to be responsible for the vandalism. The suspect arrested by Bosnian police, Bartłomiej Włodzimierz Krakowiak, had been a pilgrim at Medjugorje back in 2017, but since then his life had taken a difficult turn "personally and spiritually", an acquaintance of the suspect wrote in a social media post. The local Catholic community have responded urging for prayers and forgiveness for the suspect, rather than judgement.
Sources: niedziela, deon.pl, stacja7
Images: Social Media, Social Media 1, Social Media 2