AP: Attempt to hold pan-Orthodox synod stalls over disputes

A historic attempt to bring together all leaders of the world's Orthodox churches for the first time in more than a millennium has stalled after the powerful Russian church and three others pulled out at the last minute over disputes ranging from the seating plan to efforts to reconcile with the Vatican.

The Holy and Great Council, set to open Sunday on the Greek island of Crete, was to be the first meeting of all Orthodox leaders since the year 787, when the last of the seven councils recognized by both Orthodox and Catholics was held. The meeting is still on, but with the Russian Orthodox Church and three others staying away, its pan-Orthodox aura has faded. [...]

The Rev. John Chryssavgis, a spokesman for Bartholomew, said the 10 patriarchs attending the council met Friday and issued a final plea "even at the 11th hour" for the other churches to attend, saying whatever issues they have will be examined. But he added that the council will go on without them, and organizers say the decisions made by the remaining 10 will be binding — a claim certainly to be rejected by Moscow and the others.

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designboom: christo's floating piers open to the public in lake iseo, italy

the highly-anticipated reveal sees 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric wrap a floating dock that connects various points on italy’s lake iseo. undulating with the movement of the waves, visitors can now experience ‘the floating piers’ as they walk from sulzano to monte isola and to the island of san paolo, which it completely encircles. the 3 kilometer-long walkway extends clear across the water, with surrounding mountains offering a bird’s-eye view of a golden network of passageways that lead in and around the town. the fabric continues along 1.5 kilometers of pedestrian streets in sulzano and peschiera maraglio. [...]

the concept for ‘the floating piers’ was conceived by christo and jeanne-claude — the artist’s creative and life partner — in 1970. however, the couple originally did not know which river or lake would best suit the project. early, unrealized renditions proposed a 2,000 meter-long inflated pier on the delta of the rio de la plata in argentina. by 1995, the idea was still active in the artists’ minds. they suggested the creation of two floating piers, 150 meters-long and covered in fabric, which would connect two artificial islands in tokyo bay and continue through odaiba park. this iteration was also unrealized following the denial of a permit. 

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AP Analysis: Mideast showed Hillary Clinton US power's limit

In the wake of the Orlando killings this week, Hillary Clinton had harsh words for America's Gulf allies, criticizing them for funding institutions that radicalize young Muslims.

"It is long past time for the Saudis, the Qataris and the Kuwaitis and others to stop their citizens from funding extremist organizations," the presumptive Democratic Party nominee told an Ohio crowd. "And they should stop supporting radical schools and mosques around the world that have set too many young people on a path toward extremism." [...]

Tellingly, the comments were received without protest from most regional leaders who consider the messenger as much as the message. However, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said in Washington on Friday that his government has tight control over charitable giving and has designated entities and individuals suspected of terror finance. He also said that it's unfair to point a finger at Saudi Arabia if a mosque that it funded years ago begins advocating intolerance and violence. [...]

Yet in all of it, she's learned the limits of American power in a region rich in history but impoverished by multiple wars and conflicts.

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VICE: What It's Like to Be Gay and Muslim in America

In my conversations with gay Muslim Americans this week, the resounding message was that Omar Mateen is no representative of the Muslim community—LGBTQ or otherwise. And they say the gun violence he perpetrated is a uniquely American problem that is homegrown, not imported. [...]

"When something like this happens in America, Islam becomes the main topic of discussion," Abdelhadi tells VICE. "The narrative was first that Mateen was a homophobe because of Islam. Now that we're told that he may have been secretly gay, the narrative has become that he was self-hating because of his Islam. They want to divorce Mateen from all the factors in American society that created him, but there is nothing foreign about Omar Mateen." [...]

"But that is true for all religious communities— Jewish and Christian alike," Abdelhadi explains. "We all have conversations about it and a range of opinions. The problem is that American media presents Islam and its people as a monolith: They validate the view that all Muslims are homophobic. That is simply not true."

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The Guardian: Istanbul authorities ban transgender and gay pride marches

Authorities in Istanbul have banned transgender and gay pride marches this month, citing security concerns after ultra-nationalists warned they would not allow the events to take place on Turkish soil.

A march in support of transgender people was planned for Sunday in the city centre, while an annual gay pride parade – described previously as the biggest in the Muslim world – had been due to take place a week later on 26 June. [...]

There had already been concerns about the security of the planned marches after last weekend’s massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida of 49 people by a gunman who had expressed sympathy for a variety of Islamist militant groups. Yeni Akit, a religiously conservative newspaper loyal to the Turkish government, published a headline the next day saying “50 pervert gays killed in a bar”.

Historically the gay pride parade in Istanbul – a city seen as a relative haven by members of the gay community from elsewhere in the Middle East – has been a peaceful event.

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