That’s what they call the process of pulling stories together for newspapers and magazines. God knows what’s going to come out.

So yes, I’m quoted in this TIME article – the cover story on the Pope (and in case you’re interested in such things, I was just interviewed on Friday – so they move fast) – but I want to say that my quote was taken just a little bit out of context. (Of course)

My quote:

Still, many Catholics are rooting for him to come up with a way to engage without enraging. The widely read Catholic blogger Amy Welborn says, "I think there’s a pretty widespread fed-up-ness with Islamic sensitivity. I agree that elements of Islam that either explicitly espouse violence or are less than aggressive in combatting it need to be challenged and nudged, [just as] I would like to see the Pope continue to challenge and nudge people of all different religions—Christian and non-Christian—to look at the suffering of people." She thinks that, given the heat he’s taking in parts of the Islamic world, his willingness to go through with his Turkish trip is "so brave."

In the interview, I said this in the context of a reference to this column of John Allen’s , in which he spoke about a Theology on Tap he’d done in Westchester County, and he himself had express surprise at the depth of the fed-upness of his listeners. I was sort of hoping the reporter (who was a nice guy) would you know, go to Allen for any more. But. So there you have it.

From Allen’s piece:

What surprised me as we began to talk about these concepts was the depth of skepticism I sensed, as well as the fairly palpable irritation with what are perceived as irrational and defensive patterns of behavior in the Islamic world.

One man, for example, repeatedly asked why it seems that Christians are always the ones expected to ask forgiveness, while to date no one has suggested that Islamic leaders ought to make a public apology for attacks on Christian churches, or the murder of an Italian nun in Somalia. A young woman wanted to know if it’s realistic to expect Islam to be open to the pope’s call for reason, given that Mohammad himself is depicted in the Qur’an as a warrior, and given its harsh language about infidels and unbelievers. Another woman expressed incredulity that Islam is ready for the “conversion” to which the pope seems to want to invite it.

The questions all played to vigorous nodding of heads. How fair the perceptions are is not, for the moment, the point — they’re out there, and are shaping attitudes about what to do next. Of course, people would probably have asked the same things prior to Regensburg, but the experience of the last month obviously deepened the passion with which people asked them.