I wholly resonate with Quinn’s attitude that one can honor another faith tradition by willingly participating in its rituals. Throughout my education at Catholic schools in Kashmir, India, I prayed the Lord’s Prayer every morning, attended chapel on special occasions, exchanged gifts and sang carols each Christmas, and in general, I gained a deep respect for the Catholic tradition. We considered these activities a celebration of our sister faith’s traditions, and I never sensed competition with Islam or that I was somehow dishonoring my own faith by honoring another. I felt secure enough in my own religious beliefs and traditions to respect and share in those of others. This acknowledgment of another tradition’s beauty and legitimacy, including its sacred symbols and rituals, offers a singularly powerful gesture of respect. For Quinn to do so on the funeral of her good friend Tim Russert was undoubtedly special, for both of them.

Nevertheless, I also recognize that certain rituals are considered within the exclusive purview of a particular religion’s adherents, rites deemed so sacred or consecrated that one must truly believe in their holy or miraculous significance to partake. In Islam, the Hajj is one such tradition. Within Christianity – and especially the Catholic tradition – the Holy Eucharist signifies a millennia-old concrete affirmation of the miracle of Jesus’ life and death, Christian theology, and the Catholic Church’s role as the bearer of this message. Quinn, no matter how sensitive or knowledgeable about Christianity, does not share these beliefs. She herself declared, “I was determined to take it [communion] for Tim, transubstantiation notwithstanding.” At a Catholic funeral, however, transubstantiation can hardly “notwithstand.” If Quinn does not recognize the miracle of transubstantiation – which is fine, neither do I – she should respect the Catholic Church’s restriction of this holy blessing to those who affirm the meanings behind it. Unfortunately, this kind of condescension, characterized by discounting miracles, minimizing ritual belief, and misunderstanding faith itself, is frequently visible within the secular community.

The line between honoring another faith by observing its rituals and dishonoring it by partaking in its holy – and restricted – rites is admittedly blurry. In fact, every individual must choose what is appropriate, both within the context of their own beliefs and those of others. In the case of Quinn, though she undoubtedly held nothing but good intentions, she displayed an all-to-common misunderstanding of religion. True cross-religious consciousness must entail both an eagerness to participate in the sacred rituals of other traditions and a willingness to refrain when this very participation is considered inappropriate or disrespectful by the traditions’ adherents.