If we had said it, the conservatives would have rejected it.
But coming from the Pope, it is all over the conservative blogs. A week and a half ago, in the Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, the Pope spoke out against usurious lending and investment practices. He suggested the adoption of Islamic financial principles. Technically, Islamic financial prinriple forbids lending and investing for interest. The Pope advocated for a type of Islamic bond that is an investment in a productive industry. He advocated against investment in interest.
My personal comment: From reading some of the blogging on this issue, it
appears that actual Islamic banking practice may not be the answer,
because some Islamic banks buy the home and resell it to the borrower at
an inflated value rather than charging interest. However, there are many
Muslims who invest in tangible assets rather than in market trading. So
whereas the advice might not be cirrect when getting down to the details
of how Islamic banks work, the general principles espoused by the Pope are
in the right direction. Conservatives who have only followed the free market rhetoric of Reagan are now all reading the Pope's advice against banking practices that constitute usury.