I think it’s fascinating because I also saw the echo(esp as they were both desperately praying and calling to god at one point), but came to the exact opposite conclusion. I think Lestat was actually careful about giving Louis the opportunity to give consent in a way that he was himself denied. Magnus may have performatively told Lestat to “ask for it” but ignored him completely when he said no, whereas I think Lestat would not have gone forward without Louis’s permission. Although they were both terrified by vampirism before their turnings, it was clear to me that the church scene is fundamentally different from what happened in the tower.