Do Catholics have to believe that Mary appears?
Put simply…no. Nowhere and at no time has the Catholic Church ever said that the faithful have to believe in apparitions of the Blessed Mother. Apparitions are what would be considered private revelations. Faithful Catholics are only obligated to believe in general and public revelation Even if an apparition is authentic, you’re free to ignore it. Believing in an apparition is not necessary for your salvation. That being said, the Church has made it clear, after extensive investigations, debates, clarifications, interviews and testimonies, that certain apparitions are authentic, and the messages given can in good faith be believed and followed. The most prominent of those such apparitions are when the Blessed Mother appeared in Guadalupe (1531), Lourdes (1858) and Fatima (1917).
