In June the Vatican censured The Leadership Conference of Women Religious for violating Church teaching on issues including birth control and homosexuality, and adopting “certain radical feminist themes”.  At its annual conference  the nuns agreed to resume discussions with Rome about the future of the Leadership Conference, but has warned that it will call off the talks if it is “forced to compromise the integrity of its mission”.  There is thus a stand-off.  It is thought that the nuns have a majority of support in the US, since they are the ones who work .

Epicureans need not be overly concerned about the politics of the Catholic church.  If, as Jesus is quoted as saying, “God is within us” the Vatican should not be necessary in any case  (yet another heresy?)  What is, however, striking about this is the control-freakery of the hierarchy. The nuns, given that they share  human weaknesses with the rest of us, do do good things for their communities.   The men , or, rather The Man, requires total obedience and control in a situation where , it seems, the nuns are trying to adapt to the modern world in the face of an uncompromising and reactionary top echelon.

Epicureanism stands, among other things, for equality of the sexes.  Epicurus welcomed women into his Garden as equals and gave them an equal say. 2,300 years later we are still fighting a battle to stop domination of either gender. Epicurus would be appalled were he still alive.