Medjugorje, located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been a pilgrimage site for Catholics since the Virgin Mary appeared to six children in 1981.
It’s a sacred site for Catholics.
But the Virgin Mary statue has been vandalized and the altar set on fire.
The police received a report of the vandalism at 4:30 AM and one about the fire at 5 AM.
Video shows a man spraying the altar with flammable liquid before setting it on fire.
A banner at the altar written in Polish said, “Ivanka, Mirjana, Milk, Vicka, John, and Jacob are fraudsters. I have evidence.“
Those are the six children who saw the Virgin Mary in 1981.
The police arrested a suspect, but did not release a name.
“In a special way, we invite all faithful to respond to this event in the way that Our Lady has been teaching us for over forty years in Medjugorje: with prayer, fasting, and forgiveness,” urged the Medjugorje parish office. “We pray for the conversion of the hearts of those who committed this act, that the Lord may touch them with His grace and lead them on the path of goodness. We also pray for peace in the hearts of all people. Our Lady constantly invites us to be carriers of peace. May this event encourage us to take her invitation even more seriously: not to return evil for evil, but to witness love, forgiveness, and hope with our lives.”
The Vatican approved devotion at Medjugorje in 2024, but did not pronounce the apparitions as authentic.
Mladifest, a Catholic youth festival at the Medjugorje shrine, opens on August 1.
[Featured image via Facebook]
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