I remember seeing Annie Rice on Charlie Rose talking about her return to the Church and the promotion of her first book on the life of Christ. I found the interview compelling and decided to email her - I was surprised when I got a lengthy, thoughtful response. We ended up corresponding over several weeks (I had just reconciled with the church, myself) and I was surprised to hear how sincere and well-thought out her decision to recommit to the Church appeared to be.
Indeed, as disappointing as it is for some people, that Anne has decided to leave Christianity, I doubt she is doing so on a whim. I will continue to pray for her and I hope her relationship with Christ continues and that perhaps someday she will find peace with the Church. In addition, I do not find Donahue’s negative assessment of Anne’s spiritual state to be helpful or accurate - on the contrary, I think his statement is tragic because it is precisely this type of negativity that drives people away from the Church.