“(The) priest knew it! He did! How could you do something like that without permission? He knew it!”
and the priest then washed his hands of her once she botched it.
That being said, the piece is getting so much attention that the little church is raking in donations, and the woman is now sueing for a piece of the pie:
So I was reading up about it a little, and apparently the lady did get some kind of spoken agreement from the priest that she could restore it:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19349921
and the priest then washed his hands of her once she botched it.
That being said, the piece is getting so much attention that the little church is raking in donations, and the woman is now sueing for a piece of the pie:
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/09/20/161466361/woman-who-ruined-fresco-of-jesus-now-wants-to-be-paid
That was over a decade ago. She now receives 49% of merchandizing profit.