Pope Pius XII on the Economic Order

Rupert J. Ederer explores in Pope Pius XII on the Economic Order the views of Eugenio Pacelli, who served as pope during the tumultuous period of 1939 to 1958. Through the study of Pius XII's encyclicals and Christmas messages, Ederer examines this important pontiff's views on economics and the social order, the world of work, agriculture and farmers, food and population, the middle class, and the world of money and finance. Students and scholars interested in the history of Pius XII's papacy will find Ederer's analysis an insightful study of Catholic economic thought during an era when nations representing the forces of capitalism, fascism, and Communism were joined in a fierce battle for dominance.

Rupert J. Ederer is professor emeritus of the State University of New York in Buffalo. He is the author of Economics as if God Matters (Scarecrow, 2011).