A: The Marian apparitions having some degree of approval from the
Catholic Church seemed to favor children and adolescents more
than adults, especially those in the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. Adult visionaries have become more common with recent
apparitions, most of which are still under study by the Church.
In the case of authentic supernatural manifestations, the usual
reason given involves the greater innocence and openness typical
of young people. However, authentic apparitions always imply a
free act of communication by God. Hence, we can only speculate
on God's reasons.
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