During the night preceding this morning, several serious incidents affecting religious objects and symbols at various locations within this Marian shrine were recorded in Međugorje. According to information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (MUP HNŽ), deliberate damage and desecration occurred, prompting an immediate reaction from police officers on the ground.
The most serious incident occurred around 4:46 am, when an unknown man was captured on CCTV footage approaching the outdoor altar located behind the parish church of St James. The perpetrator poured flammable liquid onto the altar and started a fire. After igniting the flames, the man immediately fled the scene. Although material damage was sustained to the recently renovated altar, firefighters quickly contained the blaze, preventing the fire from spreading to the church building itself.
Spokeswoman for the MUP HNŽ, Ilijana Miloš, confirmed that the Čitluk Police Station received a report regarding the first incident at 4:30 am. This involved damage to the statue of Our Lady at Podbrdo, where an unknown perpetrator wrote various messages. Twenty minutes later, at 5:00 am, police received a report about the aforementioned fire at the outdoor altar.
Desecration of religious symbols was recorded at several locations, including Podbrdo and Plavi Križ. An offensive message reading "Devil in a skirt" was found on the statue of Our Lady at the Hill of Apparitions. Additionally, inscriptions reading "Međugorje is a deception", "Our Lady=devil" and "Jesus Only" were found on one of the banners nearby, indicating targeted action against religious symbols.
Police officers are intensively conducting scene investigations at all locations where incidents were recorded. The MUP HNŽ is taking all available measures and actions to establish all circumstances surrounding the events and to find and identify the perpetrators. The case has been reported to the competent state prosecutor's office.
