The authorities in Bosnia are investigating an incident involving the vandalism of a Virgin Mary statue in a southern village. The site, a popular destination for Catholic pilgrims, was also damaged by fire overnight.

In recent years, the Vatican approved pilgrimages to Medjugorje, a location where children claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary years ago. This decision lent approval to devotions at a site that has been a point of contention in Roman Catholic practice.

Local media images showed the defaced statue of Our Lady with black paint on its face and hands. The pedestal bore the inscription “Devil in a skirt.”

Back in 1981, six children in Medjugorje reported seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary. These encounters were alleged to happen regularly, even daily, with messages supposedly communicated to the children. Near the site, a banner displayed the names of the visionaries with a message in Polish accusing them of deceit.

The Vatican’s doctrinal office has not authenticated these apparitions as genuine or supernatural. They have flagged inconsistencies in the messages over the years. However, due to the positive “spiritual fruits” resulting from these experiences, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith allowed pilgrimages and public acts of devotion. This decision in 2024 overturned previous doubts about the authenticity of the visions, ignoring economic interests that have grown Medjugorje into a bustling religious tourism hub.

Note: This article was translated to English using a generative AI tool.