Pope Pius XII on the Economic Order was a genuine education. Pius XII promulgated forty-one encyclicals during his pontificate (1939–1958)…. Ederer divides his study into eleven chapters. He treats the encyclicals of Pius XII, the Christmas messages, and a range of issues including the economic order, the world of work, agriculture, population, the middle class, and finance. Ederer provides helpful summaries of the social teaching of Pius XII on many specific topics. In many cases, the issues seem entirely relevant more than sixty years later: the responsible entrepreneur, accident prevention in industry, ideals for business, women and work, and many other topics. One of the most delightful aspects of reading this book is the sense that modern Catholic social teaching is a deeply rooted tradition, and that issues discussed at the Second Vatican Council and afterward were very much being discussed prior to the Council.

Catholic Social Science Review

Pope Pius XII on the Economic Order is a useful contribution to the literature on his social thought.

Journal Of Religious History