Battle for Modern Sacred Art

From Pope Pius XII:
Attacked "works which astonishingly deform art and yet pretend to be Christian...from which naturally derives the fact that there is no lack in our times of priests infected in some way with a similar contagion...who have allowed themselves to be carried away by the mania of novelty" (Rubin 47-48).

Reaction against Notre Dame de Toute Grace (NDdTG) was focused after its dedication, 1950, and carried on long after.

From the "Tract of Angers":

"certain modern pictures which pretend to represent religious subjects, though the eye can discern only angular, grimacing, and unformed figures, in the midst of violent colors. The pure visage of the Virgin is replaced by a dirty caricature...This is not religious art, but an infamous profanation" (Rubin 50).

From an unnamed Dominican priest:
"modern art will have had three enemies, Hitler, Stalin, and the Pope" (Rubin 51).

Because of protestations, the crucifix designed by Germaine Richier was removed from the Church, though the residents of Assy had no reaction against the work of art. In fact, after its removal, members of the community wrote letters begging for their crucifix to be restored. The Papacy was very much removed from the situation itself. How does this disconnection fit into the play?