Vandalism in Medjugorje: Religious Sites Desecrated, Outdoor Altar Set on Fire

28. srpnja 2026.
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In the early hours of Tuesday, 28 July, Medjugorje became the scene of a series of acts of vandalism in which religious symbols were desecrated at several locations and the outdoor altar behind St James Church was set on fire. After a search lasting several hours, a person linked to the incidents was arrested in the West Herzegovina Canton.

The first report was received by the Čitluk Police Station at around 4:30 a.m. Police were informed that various offensive messages had been written on the statue of Our Lady on Podbrdo Hill.

Messages in several languages were left on the statue and other religious symbols, including the words “Devil in a skirt”, “Medjugorje is a deception” and the English word “devil”. A banner in Polish was also placed nearby, containing accusations against the alleged visionaries and a reference to the Book of Jeremiah.

Signs of vandalism were also recorded in the area of the Blue Cross, while reports indicated that other religious sites in Medjugorje had also been targeted.

Outdoor altar set on fire

At 4:46 a.m., CCTV cameras recorded a man approaching the outdoor altar behind St James Church, pouring a flammable liquid over it, setting it on fire and then leaving the scene.

Police received the report of the fire at around 5:00 a.m. The blaze was brought under control and did not spread to the church, but material damage was caused to the altar area.

Police officers and a fire protection inspector from the Ministry of the Interior of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton were sent to the scene. A prosecutor from the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office in Mostar was also informed, and the crime scene investigation was carried out under the prosecutor’s supervision.

Photographs released and search launched

During the morning, photographs were published of a person believed to be connected to the acts of vandalism, and members of the public were asked to provide police with any useful information. According to the information available at the time, the suspect may have been in the Ljubuški area.

Claims soon began circulating in the media and on social networks that the suspect had already been arrested. The spokesperson for the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Ministry of the Interior, Ilijana Miloš, denied those reports, stressing that the person shown in the photographs circulating publicly had not been detained at that time and that the police search was still ongoing.

Police officers from the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton continued the search in cooperation with their colleagues from the Ministry of the Interior of the West Herzegovina Canton.

Click here to read all related news about the vandalism in Medjugorje.

Cleaning of desecrated sites begins

While the police search was under way, members of the Cenacolo Community began carefully removing the inscriptions from the statue of Our Lady on Podbrdo Hill. The statue had previously been covered, while believers and pilgrims continued to gather and pray on Apparition Hill.

The Medjugorje Parish Office announced that the cleaning and restoration of all damaged areas had begun immediately. The shrine remained open and the regular prayer programme was not interrupted.

The Parish Office called on believers not to respond to the vandalism with hatred or revenge, but with prayer, fasting and forgiveness, as well as prayer for the conversion of the perpetrator.

Photo: Denis Kapetanović / Pixsell

Reactions from the bishop, pilgrims and Plenković

The Bishop of Mostar-Duvno and Apostolic Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkan, Petar Palić, also responded to the incidents, saying that such acts do not affect only statues, stone and altars, but also believers who seek peace, comfort and God in those places.

Let us not allow evil to infect us with its own logic, Palić said, calling on believers to respond with prayer, fasting, forgiveness and perseverance in doing good.

The vandalism was also condemned by numerous pilgrims who were in Medjugorje that day, saying that the incidents would not discourage them from visiting and praying.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković also reacted, calling on the competent authorities to establish who was responsible and ensure that the perpetrator was appropriately punished.

Possible prison sentence of up to eight years

Legal expert Josip Aničić explained to Jabuka.tv that, depending on the outcome of the investigation, the incidents could be considered under three criminal offences defined by the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

These include the possible incitement of national, racial or religious hatred, discord or intolerance, damage to another person’s property and causing a general danger. The most serious of these offences carries a prison sentence of between one and eight years.

The final legal classification will depend on the evidence collected during the investigation, the extent of the damage and the assessment of whether setting the fire created a danger to people or property on a larger scale.

Suspect found in West Herzegovina Canton

Following an intensive search, the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Ministry of the Interior officially confirmed that the person linked to the damage to the statue of Our Lady and the fire at the outdoor altar had been found and detained in the West Herzegovina Canton.

Police officers from both cantons took part in locating the suspect. The arrested person will undergo a criminal investigation and other measures and procedures prescribed by law, under the supervision of the competent prosecutor’s office.

Photo: reader

The Herzegovina-Neretva Canton Ministry of the Interior thanked citizens and the media for their cooperation and for providing information that contributed to finding the person suspected of the incidents that disturbed Medjugorje and many believers.

(www.jabuka.tv)

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