3
NEWS

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Professors analyze Pope’s Latin American tour

Nontraditional topics 

including LGBTQ 
rights among issues 

discussed

By EMMA KINERY

Daily Staff Reporter

Pope Francis finished his eight-

day tour of the Latin American 
countries of Ecuador, Bolivia and 
Paraguay on Sunday.

Although Latin America 

contains the largest Catho-

lic population in the world — near-
ly half of the world’s believers live 
there — Pope Francis has only vis-
ited once before when he attended 
Brazil’s World Youth Day in July 
of 2013.

Daniel Ramirez, assistant pro-

fessor of History and American 
Culture at the University and an 
expert on Latin American reli-
gious history and culture, said 
the number of Catholics in Latin 
America has been decreasing in 
recent years.

“In general, the Americas repre-

sent the global bulwark for Roman 
Catholicism, and this bulwark 

is showing signs of serious slip-
page,” Ramirez said. “What the 
national figures do not show is the 
most serious trend: the indigenous 
Americas are slipping away at a 
higher rate, mostly to Evangélico 
and other non-Catholic groups.”

Pope Francis came to Latin 

America to address a wide range of 
issues — many of which are seem-
ingly not related to religion.

“As 
peripheral 
countries, 

(Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay) 
represent this pope’s advocacy for 
the economically disenfranchised 
and vulnerable,” Ramirez said.

During his tour, the Pope 

emphasized the corruption of cap-
italism and encouraged grassroots 
organizations to combat economic 
inequalities. He also apologized 
for the horrific acts committed 
on the indigenous peoples in the 
name of Catholicism during colo-
nialism.

Pope Francis is widely regard-

ed as one of the most popular 
popes in recent history and has 
distinguished himself from his 
predecessors with his simplistic 
approach.

“With his prophetic encycli-

cals, pastoral style, administrative 
reforms and downscale lifestyle, 

he has earned a hearing from sec-
tors who previously would have 
disdained an outreach from his 
predecessor(s),” Ramirez said.

Brian Porter-Szücs, professor 

of history at the University and 
expert in Roman Catholicism, dis-
tinguished Pope Francis from his 
predecessor, Pope Benedict.

“Benedict was concerned about 

clarity– having a message that was 
unambiguous and rigorous even if 
that meant the church was small-
er. He was a theologian,” Porter-
Szücs said. “Francis is the pastoral 
pope. 

See POPE, Page 10

‘U’ alum donates to Ross School

Sam Zell gifts $60 

million to be invested 
in student ventures

By LEA GIOTTO

Summer News Editor

A drug initially designed to 

treat arthritis may now be the 
biggest development in the last 
two decades in treating diabet-
ic kidney disease, according to 
recent University research.

Last week, University Medical 

School researchers and their col-
leagues presented results from a 
randomized, controlled study of 
the experimental drug baricitinib 
in patients with diabetic kidney 
disease.

The results of the study showed 

that, after six months, baricitinib 
substantially reduced a measure 
of kidney dysfunction called uri-
nary albumin/creatinine ratio, 
or UACR. They also showed that 
baricitinib reduced blood and 
urine levels of IP-10 and sTNFR2, 
two compounds that indicate 
inflammation in the kidneys.

Findings also indicted the 

only significant side effect of the 
drug was the onset of mild ane-
mia among the treatment group 
with the highest dose, which was 
predicted based on previous find-
ings.

Frank Brosius, professor of 

internal medicine and a co-leader 
of the multi-institutional clinical 
trial, said his team’s new findings 
are significant because kidney 
disease is a large problem among 
diabetic patients and will only 

worsen in the future.

“Once diabetic patients get 

kidney disease, it leads to a host 
of other problems, so anything 
that we can do to prevent, fore-
stall or treat diabetic kidney 
disease is extremely important,” 
Brosius said.

Nearly 40 percent of diabetic 

patients eventually develop kid-
ney disease. Because diabetes 
incidence rates are currently ris-
ing, especially in countries such 
as China, where half of all adults 
are now pre-diabetic, the results 
of this trial have implications on 
a global health scale, said Brosius.

Matthias Kretzler, professor of 

internal medicine and co-leader 
of the study, said the new find-
ings are a product of decades 
worth of research. 

experiences, the Art Fair oper-

ates as one event. Each fair is set 
to run from Wednesday to Satur-
day. During the week the fair will 
be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and 
on Saturday the fair will close at 6 
p.m.

This year, the Art Fair will 

introduce the Art Go ‘Round, a free 
bus shuttle service that will trans-
port visitors between the four fairs 
throughout the day.

For the enormous event to run 

smoothly, Art Fair requires com-
munication between city officials, 
Art Fair coordinators and Univer-
sity representatives alike.

Jim Kosteva, University direc-

tor of community relations, said 
Art Fair takes a lot of planning on 
the University’s end.

“Primarily, our activities revolve 

around trying to coordinate with 

affairs with the city on the street 
closures to make sure we can still 
conduct as close to business as nor-
mal as we need to and accommo-
date during the art fairs,” Kosteva 
said, citing the University’s need 
to accommodate summer stu-
dents with disabilities who require 
handicap parking, as well as food 
and trash collection services that 
are restricted by the Art Fair.

Kosteva also said this year’s 

Art Fair organizers had to work 
around the University’s construc-
tion along Ingalls Mall off of North 
University.

Along with University represen-

tatives, the City of Ann Arbor is 
also heavily involved in the prepa-
ration process for Art Fair.

“The arts and culture are very 

important to Ann Arbor residents, 
so we provide a welcoming loca-
tion for vendors and visitors alike,” 
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher 

FAIR
From Page 1

See ROSS, Page 10
Read more at MichiganDaily.com

