By Junno Arocho Esteves, OSV News
In a statement released on July 28, the city’s San Jaime parish church said it received the news of the vandalism «with great sadness» and that it was working to clean up and repair the damage «so that all areas are properly prepared for prayer once again.».
«We pray for the conversion of the hearts of those who committed this act, that the Lord may touch them with His grace and guide them along the path of goodness,» said the parish.
We also pray for peace in the hearts of all people. Our Lady constantly invites us to be peacemakers. May this event encourage us to take her invitation even more seriously: not to repay evil with evil, but to bear witness to love, forgiveness, and hope through our lives.
St. James Church, according to the parish, will remain open to pilgrims.
Graffiti and messages against psychics
According to local media reports, police in the neighboring town of Citluk received a report at 4:30 a.m. on July 28 that several statues of the Virgin Mary—known as «Gospa» or «Our Lady» in Croatian—had been vandalized.
In the photographs published by the Bosnian online news site bljesak.info, the vandal can be seen covering parts of the statue with black spray paint, along with several blasphemous inscriptions directed at the Virgin Mary.
Among the vandal's other graffiti were «Medjugorje is a hoax,» «devil,» and «only Jesus,» spray-painted in various areas.
The police also found a banner bearing the first names of the six alleged visionaries: Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic, Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo, Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti, Ivan Dragicevic, Ivanka Ivankovic-Elez, and Jakov Colic.
Below their names was a message written in Polish that read: «To oszusci, mam dowody» («They’re scammers; I have proof»).
Arson at the altar of the Church of San Jaime
About 30 minutes after the police were notified of the act of vandalism, a fire broke out at the altar of St. James Church. A security camera video posted on X showed a man pouring a flammable liquid around the altar and setting it on fire.
The Interreligious Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina stated that the acts of vandalism constituted «a profound insult» to Catholics and «an attack on peace, mutual respect, and the dignity of all people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.».
«Sacred sites, regardless of the church or religious community to which they belong, must be protected and respected,» the council stated in a press release posted on its Facebook page.
The parish's response: prayer, forgiveness, and the continuation of worship services
The council also praised the response of St. James Church, stating that its call for pilgrims to respond to evil with prayer and fasting was «a testimony of faith, responsibility, and a genuine commitment to peace.».
«However, forgiveness does not absolve the perpetrator of the crime of responsibility, nor does it relieve the relevant institutions of their obligation to fully investigate this case,» he stated. «We must respond to the desecration of sacred sites with a united condemnation, the protection of every person’s right to freely practice their faith, and an even stronger commitment to a society of peace, mutual respect, and forgiveness.».
Millions of pilgrims visit the site where six young people claimed that the Virgin Mary appeared to them in 1981. Some of them say that Mary still appears to them and conveys messages to them on a daily basis, while others claim that they now see her only once a year.
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