Meath family on pilgrimage to Medjugorje woke up to shock news of statue vandalism
"Just because you are in a holy place, it doesn't mean everyone is there for the right reasons," said a Co Meath mother who is on pilgrimage in Medjugorje.
The Catholic pilgrimage site in Bosnia was hit in an act of vandalism that destroyed a statue of the Virgin Mary on Apparition Hill while a nearby outdoor altar at the back of St James' Church was set ablaze in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Millions of people, including thousands from Ireland, have travelled on pilgrimages to the site since purported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the 1980s.
Images showing black paint on the Virgin Mary's face and the words 'devil in a skirt' on the pedestal have been widely shared on social media as well as a video showing a man setting fire to the altar.
Caroline Cahill from Navan, Co. Meath is on pilgrimage in Medjugorje with her mother and four children with Marian Pilgrimages and said they woke up to the news on Tuesday morning in disbelief.
"We didn't know a lot about it until we went to Mass and the priest just asked everyone to pray for whoever did it, He said everything was still open and ongoing and that cleaning works would start as soon as possible, " she said.
"We were supposed to have Mass in St James' Church but because of air conditioning issues, we had Mass in the Yellow Hall instead. The altar that was set on fire is an outdoor one at the back of the church."
Caroline and her family climbed Apparition Hill, where the statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje was defaced, last Saturday, so they weren't due to climb it again today, especially in the heat.
"We climbed the hill, which is pretty rocky, at 5am because you really can't climb it in the heat. It is 33 degrees here at present and due to get hotter next week.
"I think the reaction was disgust and shock at first as to who would do this but then quite quickly, we were just all saddened at the situation."
Caroline's husband Mark passed away at a young age 22 months ago so the family went to Medjugorje in his memory and to celebrate the couple's 26th wedding anniversary which occurred on Tuesday.
Meanwhile Marian Pilgrimages said they were 'shocked and saddened by it all', according to company administrator Aoife Martin.
Marian Pilgrimages currently have 148 pilgrims at the site and operate a chartered flight each Wednesday, adding more scheduled flights at busier times, especially in September.
"It's been a huge shock to us all, not just to the pilgrims and our staff out there but everyone here in the office too," she said.
"We have been saddened by it all and see it now as an invitation to live out the message of Our Lady of Medjugorje in praying to ask for repentance and forgiveness and our thoughts to all the local people
The vandalism occurred at an altar which is due to be central to the Catholic annual Youth Festival due to take place in the coming weeks. Up to 80,000 young people are expected to attend, 148 of these on a chartered flight with Marian Pilgrimages.