Vandals desecrate Marian statues, torch altar at Medjugorje days before youth festival

MEDJUGORJE, Bosnia-Herzegovina (LifeSiteNews) — Statutes of the Virgin Mary have been desecrated and a Catholic altar set ablaze at the popular pilgrim site in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Police in Bosnia-Herzegovina are investigating a series of acts of vandalism and desecration reported in Medjugorje during the early hours of July 28, including offensive writings on a statue of Our Lady at the local Podbrdo hillside, known as “Apparition Hill,” and a fire deliberately started at the outdoor altar behind the Church of St. James. The incidents occurred just days before the 37th International Youth Festival, scheduled to take place from August 1 to 6.

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Ilijana Miloš, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, told the Serbian news agency SRNA that a local police station received the first report at 4:30 a.m. regarding damage to the statue of Our Lady at the Podbrdo prayer site. Authorities were informed later, at around 5 a.m., about a fire at the outdoor altar of the Church of St. James. Police officers were sent to both locations.

Miloš added that the investigation is ongoing and that further information will be released after police complete their work; however, social media accounts have released images of police arresting a man in connection with the vandalism:

Ovaj sta je palio oltar uvaćen kod Ljubuškog 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/1vSOWWbdST

— Ilija Ćaitos Teklić (@caitos3) July 28, 2026

MEDJUGORJE

The DRAMATIC moment police arrested the anti Catholic TERRORIST who attacked MEDJUGORJE, setting an altar on fire and writing anti Catholic graffiti pic.twitter.com/XBhIjqlKqP

— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) July 28, 2026

“Increasingly disturbing details are emerging about the serious acts of profanation that struck Medjugorje just days before the Youth Festival,” reports an Italian outlet linked to Medjugorje, La Luce di Maria. “The statues of the Virgin on Apparition Hill and the two images placed at the Blue Cross were smeared with black paint and provocative graffiti.”

🔴🇧🇦 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢 — Les deux statues de la Vierge Marie de Medjugorje, en Bosnie-Herzégovine, situées sur la colline des Apparitions de Podbrdo et à la Croix Bleue, ont été RECOUVERTES de peinture noire et d’inscriptions blasphématoires dont « Le diable en jupe ».… pic.twitter.com/rXE89BCDkV

— L’Écho Chrétien (@lechochretien) July 28, 2026

Later, a video from surveillance cameras surfaced showing a man with a backpack and cap pouring gasoline and setting fire to the outdoor altar of St. James parish. Police are reviewing the recording in an effort to identify the person responsible.

According to Radio Sarajevo, the full extent of the damage has not yet been determined. Black writings, including the word “devil,” were reportedly found in several areas. The statue of Our Lady on Podbrdo was marked with the phrase, “The Devil in a Skirt,” while nearby banners carried messages claiming “Medjugorje is a deception,” “Our Lady = the devil,” and “Only Jesus.”

Another banner, written in Polish, accused the alleged Medjugorje visionaries of being fraudsters, adding the claim: “I have evidence!!” The vandals also defaced several statues of the Virgin Mary, spraying black paint over the faces, hands, and feet.

Authorities have not established who produced the messages or whether all the acts of vandalism were carried out by the same person or group.

The acts of desecration took place shortly before the 37th International Youth Festival, also known as Mladifest, which will be held in Medjugorje from August 1 to 6. The theme of this year’s gathering is “Ad fontem! To the source! At the school of Our Lady.”

Medjugorje has been a major pilgrimage destination since 1981, when six local young people reported experiencing visions of the Virgin Mary. The events have drawn millions of pilgrims from around the world, although the alleged apparitions are a source of controversy among the Catholic faithful.

In 2019, the Holy See authorized official pilgrimages to Medjugorje while maintaining that this decision did not constitute recognition of the supernatural nature of the reported apparitions.

The Church of St. James has long served as the parish for pilgrims visiting the town, while Apparition Hill and the Blue Cross remain among the most significant prayer sites associated with events at Medjugorje.