Oh, Sally …

A month or so ago, Sally Quinn over at WaPo’s On Faith blog was writing about religious objections of homosexuality. Exasperated, she said, “I don’t get it.” In short, she didn’t see what all the fuss was about.

Unfortunately, when it comes to basic Catholic teaching (not to mention etiquette), she doesn’t get that either.

In case you missed it, Quinn, who’s somewhere between an atheist and an agnostic, decided to take Communion at Tim Russert’s funeral last month. She said she did it to “get closer” to Russert. Most Catholics would say one takes Communion to get closer to God. But I digress. Quinn wrote:

“I had only taken communion once in my life, at an evangelical church. It was soon after I had started “On Faith” and I wanted to see what it was like. Oddly I had a slightly nauseated sensation after I took it, knowing that in some way it represented the body and blood of Jesus Christ.”

The utterly predictable uproar ensued. Most found Quinn’s actions disrepectful, ingorant or just plain tacky. My problem with the whole affair was that Quinn is billing herself as a newly minted arbiter of all things religious, but anyone who knows even a scintilla of Catholic doctrine would know that it’s an absolute no-no to take Communion in a Catholic Church if you’re not Catholic. You don’t need a Ph.D. in theology for that, and frankly, she should have known better. Granted, her intentions may have been innocent, but that doesn’t quite cut it for someone in Quinn’s job.

Realizing the Pandora’s Box she has opened, Quinn has now opened up On Faith to people’s reactions to her action. Here’s a sampling:

From Quinn herself: “In this moment of loss I felt invited to take part in this sacrament. I fully understand the reverence religions place upon things that are holy or sacred and I try to respect them. I certainly meant no disrespect when I participated in this Holy Communion.”

Anthony Stevens-Arroyo: “Neither the Catholic League nor I can pretend to control God’s free gift of grace. It just may be that the Holy Spirit was blessing Sally Quinn that day, wisely leading her still further away from her once-professed atheism.”

M. Cathleen Kaveny, University of Notre Dame: While Sally Quinn violated canonical requirements in receiving communion at Tim Russert’s mass, she did not do so with the intent to trivialize the sacrament.

Daisy Khan, American Society for Muslim Advancement: Though she undoubtedly held nothing but good intentions, she displayed an all-to-common misunderstanding of religion.