The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows commemorates the seven great sorrows which Mary lived in relation to Her Son, as they are recorded in the Gospels or through Tradition. Today we are invited to reflect on Mary's deep suffering:1. At the prophecy of Simeon: "You yourself shall be pierced with a sword - so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare." (Luke 2:35).2. At the flight into Egypt; "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt." (Mt 2:13).3. Having lost the Holy Child at Jerusalem; "You see that your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow." (Luke 2:48).4. Meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary; 5. Standing at the foot of the Cross; "Near the cross of Jesus there stood His mother." (John 19:25).6. Jesus being taken from the Cross; 7. At the burial of Christ.Prior to the Second Vatican Council, there were two feasts devoted to the sorrows of Mary. The first feast was insitituted in Cologne in 1413 as an expiation for the sins of the iconoclast Hussites.  The second is attributed to the Servite order whose principal devotion are the Seven Sorrows.  It was institued in 1668, though the devotion had been in existence since 1239 - five years after the founding of the order.

Pope Francis will visit Thailand from November 20-23 and Japan from November 23-26, the Vatican press office announced on September 13. In Japan, he will visit Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki.

“People in religious ministry (will now be) mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse, even when they have obtained that knowledge in the confessional,” said Elise Archer, attorney general of the Australian island state (map).

The Diocese of Cheyenne announced in 2018 that Bishop Joseph Hart was guilty of the sexual abuse of minors. Bishop Hart, now 87, was a priest of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph (1956-1976), auxiliary bishop of Cheyenne (1976-78), and bishop of Cheyenne (1978-2001). He resigned five years before the typical retirement age of 75 and has denied committing sexual abuse.

“I begin by renewing my sincere apology to all those who have suffered sexual abuse by those clerics or Church personnel who violated their position of trust,” Bishop Salvatore Matano said. “We believe this is the only way we can provide just compensation for all who suffered the egregious sin of sexual abuse, while ensuring the continued commitment of the Diocese to the mission of Christ.”

The Chinese government has detained over a million Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang (map).

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, spoke at an event hosted by the Maryknoll Sisters at the UN.

Bishop Rolando Crisostomo Santos of Alotau-Sideia denounced the burning of 19 homes by police.

Born in 1948, Cardinal Louis Raphaël I Sako has led the Chaldean Catholic Church since 2013. The church is among the Eastern Catholic churches in full communion with the Holy See.

Approved by the Vatican in 1610, the Order of Discalced Augustinians (Italian-language website) began as a reform movement within the Order of St. Augustine.