SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) 鈥� Authorities in Bosnia on Tuesday investigated the desecration of a Virgin Mary statue and a shrine damaged by fire overnight in a southern Bosnian village, a popular destination for Roman Catholic pilgrims.
Two years ago, for Catholics to continue flocking to Medjugorje, where children reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary, offering its approval for devotion at one of the most contested sites of Roman Catholic practice in recent years.
The pictures from the site in local media showed the statue of Our Lady had her face and hands painted black, with an inscription in English on the pedestal that read 鈥淒evil in a skirt.鈥�
In 1981, six children and teenagers reported seeing visions of the Madonna on a hill in Medjugorje, located in the wine-making region of southern Bosnia. Some of those original 鈥渟eers鈥� have claimed the visions have occurred regularly since then, even daily, and that Mary sends them messages.
Near the site, a banner was found displayed on a fence with the names of the seers and a message written in Polish that said: 鈥淭hey are fraudsters, I have proof.鈥�
The Vatican鈥檚 doctrine office didn鈥檛 declare that the reported apparitions in Medjugorje were authentic or of supernatural origin and flagged concerns about contradictions the alleged visionaries said they have received in the messages over the years.
But in line with , the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith ruled that the positive 鈥渟piritual fruits鈥� stemming from the Medjugorje experience more than justified allowing the faithful to organize pilgrimages there and permit public acts of devotion.
The 2024 decision overruled years of doubts about the veracity of the alleged apparitions by the region鈥檚 past diocesan bishops and Vatican experts. And it ignored concerns about the economic interests that have turned Medjugorje into a thriving destination for religious tourists.
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