Bosnian police arrested a suspect Tuesday in connection with the overnight vandalism and arson at the Shrine of Our Lady in Medjugorje, according to Vatican News. Authorities have not released the man's identity as investigators work to determine a motive and whether he was responsible for other incidents reported at the shrine that same night.
Police were first called around 4:30 a.m. on July 27 after the face and hands of a statue of the Virgin Mary on Apparition Hill, also known as Podbrdo, were found covered in black paint. The pedestal at the foot of the statue was spray-painted with the English phrase "Devil in a skirt." An outdoor altar nearby, close to St. James Church, was also set on fire. Surveillance footage reportedly shows a man pouring what investigators believe was gasoline onto the altar before setting it ablaze. The fire was extinguished.
The two attacks occurred just days before Medjugorje's annual youth prayer festival, which is expected to draw more than 50,000 pilgrims from around the world.
In a statement Tuesday, the Medjugorje Parish Office condemned the vandalism and urged Catholics to respond with "prayer, fasting, and forgiveness" rather than anger. "It is with great sadness that we received the news of the act of vandalism," the parish said. Church officials stated that cleanup and repairs began immediately to ensure the damaged prayer sites could welcome pilgrims. "The affected areas are being cleaned and restored as quickly as possible," the parish said, thanking volunteers for their help in preserving the shrine as "a place of encounter with God, a place of peace."
Rather than calling for retribution, the parish urged the faithful to pray for those responsible. "We pray for the conversion of the hearts of those who committed this act," the statement read, asking that God "touch them with His grace and lead them on the path of goodness." The parish also appealed for peace, encouraging Catholics "not to return evil for evil," but instead to bear witness through "love, forgiveness and hope."
Despite the attack, officials confirmed the shrine remains open, and its regular schedule of Mass and prayer services will continue as planned. Located about 85 miles southwest of Sarajevo, Medjugorje became one of the world's best-known Catholic pilgrimage destinations after six children and teenagers reported seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary there in 1981. The Vatican has previously given the green light for Catholics to continue flocking to Medjugorje, offering its approval for devotion at the site.