Horror moment Virgin Mary statue is set ON FIRE at world famous Catholic shrine as vandal scrawls ‘Devil in a skirt’

THIS is the horror moment a statue of the Virgin Mary is set on fire inside a world famous Catholic church. The words “Devil in a skirt” had been scrawled across the base of another religious shrine outside, with police launching a manhunt for the suspected arsonist and vandal. The moment an arsonist sparks a fire inside a Catholic church in Bosnia with a Virgin Mary statue inside The huge inferno set light to a huge section of the place of worship The words ‘Devil in a skirt’ had also been scrawled across the base of another Virgin Mary shrine outside Credit: AP The face had been covered by a sheet while volunteers cleaned the vandalized statue Credit: AP Bosnian police arrested a suspect on Tuesday in connection with the overnight attack on the church. Police first received reports of vandalism to the Shrine of Our Lady statue in Medjugorje at around 4.30am, according to Vatican News. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The face and hands of the shrine that sat on top of Apparition Hill were defaced with black paint. The pedestal at the bottom of the statue was also spray-painted with the English phrase “Devil in a skirt”. A huge fire was also sparked inside St. James Church, according to local reports. Surveillance footage appeared to show a man pouring gasoline onto the altar before setting it ablaze. The two attacks came just days before Medjugorje’s annual youth prayer festival which draws in more than 50,000 pilgrims from around the world. In a statement, the Medjugorje Parish Office condemned the vandalism but urged Catholics not to respond “with evil”. Most read in The Sun Surveillance footage appeared to show a man pouring gasoline onto the altar before setting it ablaze Credit: X Hundreds continued to flock to the statue despite the vandalism Credit: AP They instead called for “prayer, fasting, and forgiveness”. The parish added: “It is with great sadness that we received the news of the act of vandalism. “The affected areas are being cleaned and restored as quickly as possible. “We pray for the conversion of the hearts of those who committed this act.” The Virgin Mary is honored with a shrine in Medjugorje where the mother of Jesus is hailed as the “Queen of Peace”. It sits 85 miles southwest of the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo and became one of the world’s best-known Catholic pilgrimage destinations in 1981 after six children reported seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Local Ivan Dragićević, who for 50 years has claimed to have seen the mother of Jesus every day, said: “Madonna has been inviting us for decades to peace, to conversion, and to prayer. “That is why even today we must not allow hatred to generate new hatred.” He added while speaking to Net.hr: “What comes from God cannot be defeated by human wickedness. “May this event be an incentive to open our hearts even more to Christ.” Despite the attacks, officials say the shrine will always remain open. Comment now