An arty snippet from the 2012 Cultural Olympiad reveals that, for some within the Establishment, the Church remains unpalatable. As part of the preparations for the London Olympics, major regional art galleries were invited to hang the best of their collections in 10 Downing Street for the duration of the games. Among the works offered by Southampton City Art Gallery was Gwen John’s exquisite portrait of the founder of a branch of the Dominicans, Mère Marie Poussepin. Imagine the bemusement in Southampton when word came back that the Mère Poussepin painting had been rejected. “Far too Catholic for us”, was the verdict.Gwen John, who was born in Wales in 1876, was the sister of the artist Augustus John, whose work overshadowed hers during their lifetimes, al