Banu was among hundreds of tsunami victims airlifted by the Indian air force from the devastated Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the relief camp at the Catholic Nirmala Senior Secondary School in Port Blair, administrative capital of the archipelago of 550 islands. During her more than four-week stay at the Catholic camp, Banu said the "love and care" shown by church workers has helped her overcome the shock of losing not only her three children but her mother, brother, sister and others. "We came here without anything, but we don’t lack anything here. More than that, whenever they find any one of us in tears, they comfort us," said Banu.

ROME (CNS) — A little boy with cancer knocked — more than once — and Pope John Paul II’s door was finally opened to him. While the spokesman for Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, Nicola Cirbino, explained in detail how the Feb. 9 visit came about, he did not give details about the boy, other than to say he was a patient in the pediatric oncology unit.

The boy’s adventure began when the pope’s personal secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, went to visit the children on the pediatric unit and their families "to bring them the greeting of the Holy Father," Cirbino said.

"Before Archbishop Dziwisz left," Cirbino said, "a little patient went up to him and with simple candor told him, ‘I’ve been knocking on that door since yesterday,’ pointing to the door to the pope’s suite ... ‘but no one answered me.’"

The pope’s secretary replied, "Do you want to go see the pope?" The little boy nodded, and the two set off. Cirbino said the pope was surprised by "the visit of this unexpected guest." The spokesman also said that the boy asked the pope, "Make me well."

JERUSALEM (CNS) — Hundreds of Catholics fled an Israeli village in mid-February as a Druze mob attacked their houses and businesses, and a local priest said they are afraid to return. The violence — which included buildings burned to the ground and cars destroyed — peaked Feb. 11 when eight residents of Maghar — a mixed Druze, Muslim, and Christian village — were injured. Three police officers also were slightly injured. The Druze are a religious sect. Police called the violence "a pogrom."

The violence occurred because of a rumor that a Christian youth had published a photomontage of naked Druze girls on the Internet. A police investigation later revealed that such pictures did not exist and that the rumor was begun by a Druze teen angry about derogatory remarks against the Druze made by an unidentified man over the Internet, Israel Radio reported.

BOSTON (CNS) — Researchers at Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston have identified adult stem cells that may have the capacity to repair and regenerate all tissue types in the body, which experts say weakens the case for embryonic stem-cell research. "This discovery represents a major breakthrough in stem-cell therapy," said Dr. Douglas Losordo, chief of cardiovascular research at St. Elizabeth’s. "Based on our findings we believe these newly discovered stem-cells may have the capacity to generate into most tissue types in the human body. This is a very unique property that until this time has only been found in embryonic stem cells."

ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) — A Catholic archbishop and a Lutheran bishop took a "poverty tour" together in January to get a first-hand look at economic issues confronting immigrants, the working poor, the homeless and those with other assistance needs in Minnesota. When it comes to government programs that meet basic human needs, "caps and cuts can be cruel words," said Archbishop Harry J. Flynn of St. Paul-Minneapolis. Angela Hutchinson told Archbishop Flynn and Lutheran Bishop Peter Rogness — leaders of the state’s two largest faith communities — that she does not mind living in a rental unit for now, but she and her husband would like to buy a house some day and build some equity. "We’re looking for a home," she said, but home prices are "through the roof." Hutchinson, who works with the Girl Scouts, lives in Wabasha Terrace, a co-op property on St. Paul’s west side run by the Neighborhood Development Alliance. The alliance, housed at nearby St. Matthew Parish, has created housing opportunities for low-income west side residents for the past 15 years. "Home prices have gone up $30,000 in the past five years," and now average $216,000 in St. Paul, said the alliance’s executive director, Karen Reid. People who earn $9 an hour can afford only a house that costs about $87,000, and homes in that price range typically need more repairs than the working poor can afford.