Bosnia Investigates Vandalism at Religious Site

The authorities in Bosnia are investigating the defacement of a statue of the Virgin Mary and damage to a shrine caused by a fire in a southern village. This area is a popular pilgrimage site for Catholics.

Two years ago, the Vatican approved Catholic pilgrimages to Medjugorje. It is a significant site where children claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary. This approval has brought more attention to Medjugorje, a focal point of Roman Catholic devotion in recent years.

Local media images showed the statue of Our Lady with a blackened face and hands. The pedestal displayed the phrase “Devil in a skirt” in English.

In 1981, six young people reported seeing the Virgin Mary on a hill in Medjugorje, a region known for its vineyards. Some of these original “visionaries” claim that the visions continue regularly. They also state that Mary sends messages to them.

Nearby, a banner was found with the names of the visionaries. The message, written in Polish, read “They are frauds, I have proof.”

The Vatican’s doctrinal office has not validated the alleged apparitions in Medjugorje as authentic or supernatural. The office expressed concerns over contradictions in the messages reportedly received by the visionaries over the years.

Despite these issues, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith cited the positive “spiritual fruits” from Medjugorje as justification for allowing pilgrimages and public acts of devotion there.

This 2024 decision reversed years of doubt regarding the veracity of the apparitions by previous local bishops and Vatican experts. It also overlooked concerns about the economic interests that have turned Medjugorje into a flourishing site for religious tourism.