Let us begin with something that no media outlet reported. Among the obscene and defamatory phrases that appeared on Marian statues and other objects in Medjugorje — and were removed by volunteers in record time — there was one inscription worth remembering.
Bartłomiej Włodzimierz Krakowiak, the 31-year-old Polish man arrested on suspicion of setting fire to the outdoor altar of St. James Parish and defacing Marian images, allegedly wrote phrases such as “the devil in a skirt” and “fraudulent visionaries.” But he also wrote: “Jer. 14:17–22.”
What does that mean? Perhaps this cryptic signature contains a key to understanding the motivation behind those acts. The reference is to a passage from the Prophet Jeremiah — remarkably, the reading at Mass on the very day the vandalism occurred.
“Let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people, over her incurable wound.”
The Virgin struck by a mortal wound. If his responsibility is confirmed, Krakowiak may have felt so betrayed by “prophets and priests” — perhaps even by alleged visionaries — that he decided to take justice into his own hands. How? By symbolically striking the Virgin.
To understand the suspect’s background more fully, there is another element: a documentary inspired by his own story and by a conversion he had previously associated with a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. In 2024, he publicly gave testimony about how the place had changed his life.
So what happened afterward? How is it possible that a man who once said his life had changed thanks to Medjugorje later returned there and allegedly burned an altar and defaced Marian images?
Some sources have spoken of psychological problems. But is that explanation sufficient?
Or did he simply become convinced that something about Medjugorje did not add up?
The suspect reportedly told Bosnian judges that he did not retract what he had done. On the contrary, he allegedly said that if released, he would do it again.
According to Bosnian police sources, Krakowiak had planned the attacks for several months. If confirmed, these were therefore premeditated acts rather than a sudden impulse.
We can interpret this story in many ways. But what happened in Medjugorje demonstrates at least two things. First: Medjugorje remains at the center of global Marian devotion. Second: the two opposing camps — those who believe and those who ridicule the phenomenon — remain deeply polarized and combative.
As for everything else, we will see.
Originally published in Italian on Il Segno di Giona on July 30, 2026.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Murgia is an Italian journalist, author and member of the Pontifical International Marian Academy. His investigations have brought to light the world of self-styled holy men and false healers. The New York Times described him as a “formidable investigator of the sacred.” A commentator for Rai and Mediaset, he was the first journalist in the world to publish in full the secret Vatican dossier on Medjugorje. He lives and works in Rome.
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