Following the recent vandalism at the famous Marian shrine of Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina, authorities arrested alleged perpetrator Bartlomiej Wlodzimierz Krakowiak, a 31-year-old Polish national with a troubled past.
Krakowiak was apprehended in the village of Cerno, near Ljubuški, shortly after the incident on July 28. A local man, Ivan Vucic, recognized and detained him before handing him over to the authorities. Bosnian judicial authorities have charged him with damaging or destroying religious property. He could face a prison sentence ranging from six months to five years.
A hearing was held July 30 in which the prosecution proposed ordering the accused held in pretrial detention "due to the risk that he might flee or repeat the offense," according to the local outlet Avaz.
The prosecutor reported that Krakowiak "showed no remorse during questioning" and stated that, through the attacks, he sought to demonstrate "that the visions are a fraud and that the whole thing is a fabrication." The Polish national declined legal representation during the hearing and, according to local media, said he wanted to remain in prison.
A difficult childhood
"Bartek," a common diminutive of his name in Poland, has his own conversion story from Medjugorje, which he recounted in a film released in 2024: "Called 2" produced by the Powolany Film Foundation.
Sharing his testimony in the film, Krakowiak recalled coming "from a family with a history of alcoholism," a disease that afflicted his great-grandfather, his grandfather, and his father. "Because of that, from a very young age, I thought it was normal," he noted.
His father was "very aggressive" and abused him. He began to feel "more at ease" on the streets, so he started running away from home. Amid an environment of poverty and deprivation of all kinds, his father's beatings grew worse, until eventually his mother decided to move out.
"I also became a very peculiar person because I took out all the anger I carried inside on others. I wanted people to suffer as much as I did," Krakowiak said.
At the age of 18, he met a girl who soon became pregnant. Krakowiak said that this pregnancy made him feel "unconditional love for the first time," marking a turning point in his life. Sadly, his girlfriend suffered a miscarriage in her sixth month.
"That was when I realized that what my father had said — that I didn't deserve love, that I would never achieve anything, that I was worthless — was true. That was when I sank even deeper into alcoholism, drugs, and violence," he remarked.
Amid despair and resentment toward God and his family, Krakowiak decided to take his own life: "I was deeply in debt and suffering from depression and anxiety. I knew I was going to do it that day, and I remember the moment I opened the window and the fear left me."
'I am with you': A journey to Medjugorje
Standing at the window, no longer afraid of the suffering he would leave behind upon his death, Krakowiak received a notification on his phone: A rapper had released a new song titled "I Am With You."
The song was about the love of Jesus Christ and his closeness during times of greatest difficulty. "That I would overcome this, that he loves me, fights for me, and desires me. It was such a powerful experience — so powerful for me — that I closed the window, and a great hope simply filled my heart that something would change," Krakowiak recalled.
Afterward, having surrendered himself to God's will, asking only to be made happy, he heard the word "Medjugorje" deep within himself, though he could not quite describe how. He then understood that he "had to go there" and that, through that journey, God would transform his life. Without delay, he began preparing for the trip of over 800 miles.
"During this trip, I experienced a powerful presence of God. I simply felt his physical presence, that he was with me. During that time, extraordinary miracles occurred in my life, and I saw things I had never seen before," he said.
"I remember passing the Medjugorje sign and, for the first time in my life, feeling proud of myself. For the first time in my life, I felt proud of who I was and what I was. And although I still had much to process and experience, I simply came to know the living God, the living Christ, who exists and who rose from the dead," he added.
After returning from Medjugorje, he dedicated himself "to evangelizing, serving, and bringing people closer to God," striving to show them that "he loves them, fights for them, and that there is hope." By the time the film premiered, Krakowiak stated that he had been married for five years and was then a father for three.
The shrine restored in record time
The Medjugorje shrine reported on July 28 that the statue of Our Lady that was vandalized on the hill of the alleged apparitions has already been completely restored, thanks to the work of the parish community and members of the Cenacolo Community.
In addition, the outdoor altar of St. James the Apostle Parish was also restored and activities at the shrine have resumed.
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"The shrine remains open to all pilgrims. The prayer program is taking place regularly, and all the spaces are being rapidly cleaned and prepared so that they can once again be a place of prayer and encounter with the Lord through the intercession of the Queen of Peace," the parish office reported in a statement.
"In a special way, we invite all faithful to respond to this event in the way that Our Lady has been teaching us for over 40 years in Medjugorje: with prayer, fasting, and forgiveness," the parish stated.
The Vatican has approved the "spiritual experience" taking place in Medjugorje, without recognizing the supernatural nature of the alleged apparitions.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
