A historic Catholic church in the southern Philippines has been closed indefinitely after its holy water font was allegedly desecrated by a social media influencer.
On Monday, 4 August 2025, Archbishop Martin Sarmiento Jumoad of Ozamiz ordered the temporary closure of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental, condemning what he called a “grave act of sacrilege committed by an individual who spat at the holy water font.”
The incident, which reportedly involved 28-year-old vlogger Christine Medalla, went viral online. In an interview with the government-run Philippine News Agency, Medalla denied spitting into the font: “I just took an envelope and then returned it immediately. I looked at the holy water because I made a wish. That’s all.”
