An Australian Catholic prelate, Bishop Fox, speaking to members of a tramways company in that country, put them on guard against the danger of Communism taking over in the unions. His talk, part of which is reproduced below, appeared in The Advocate of May 11, 1961.
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"I want to say a few words about a very important subject - the danger of communism to Australia", said Bishop Fox. "I might begin by reminding you that the executive of the Tramways Union is communist-controlled. And that executive is a unity ticket executive. I am sure you would have seen the ticket issued for the Branch Elections on 17 November 1960, which resulted in Mr. O'Shea, the communist secretary of the Union, being returned also as editor of the Tramway Record.
"Really, I should not have to warn you of the danger of communism to Australia and to religion. But there are Australians, and among them some Catholics, who would say that the danger is very slight. Do not be mistaken; the danger is very great. I would like to repeat once more what Pope Pius XI solemnly declared in 1937: 'Communism is intrinsically wrong, and no one who would save Christian civilization may give it assistance in any undertaking whatsoever.'
"Wherever communism takes over, there, Christian civilization dies and religion is at the mercy of a monster persecutor. Communism does not change; it is a ruthless, anti-God, anti-religious and, therefore, atheistic and evil system. Communism may break bodies; it cannot finally break the soul and faith of mankind.
"Communism, as you know, seeks world domination. Therefore, its intention is to rule Australia. Do you want to see your faith endangered, your religious freedom and every other freedom taken away from you? I am sure you don't. Well, take an interest in your Union affairs; attend meetings of the Union. The communists are not after seats in Parliament; they intend, if they can, to take over the government of countries as soon as they can get power where it matters, namely, in the Unions.
"So great was the success of the Communist Party in Australia that by 1945 every major Trade Union, with one exception, was in the hands of the communists. This enabled them to exercise a stranglehold over the economic life of Australia. It was at this stage of our history that many loyal Australians of different faiths, Catholics and non-Catholics, - joined together to oust the communists from control of the Trade Unions. This was done by the formation of the Industrial Groups. Ten years later, in 1955, when the Industrial Groups had been weakened by the disastrous split in Labour ranks, all the Bishops of Australia in their pastoral letter, The Menace of Communism, issued in April 1955, said: 'It is very regrettable that highly-placed public men, including some Catholics, seem to have closed their eyes to the great issues involved in the present upheaval. They do not appear to realize that they are forwarding the interests of communism."
"What is the picture today? Communists are still in control of many of the vital Trade Unions in this country. Their success has been achieved by the lack of interest shown by many unionists in the affairs of the unions, and also by the co-operation of members of a political party - the A.L.P. - with members of the Communist Party in unity tickets, thus ensuring the election of many communists to top positions in the Trade Unions.
"In your own Union such a ticket brought communists to key positions in the Union. It is no wonder, then, that our Archbishop, Dr. Mannix, whom you revere so much and whom Catholics and non-Catholics throughout Australia and beyond revere also to a very high degree, it is no wonder, I say, that he and the Bishops of Victoria and many other Bishops have praised and encouraged the efforts of those brave men and women who are prepared to fight, as they have a right to do, against the communist menace.
"You will be interested, I am sure, in the present visit to Australia of the former communist who was converted to the Catholic Church - Mr. Douglas Hyde. If I am not mistaken, he has already told audiences in other parts of Australia that the communists thought that they would have taken over Australia by 1951. I say to you that if the Catholic men and women to whom I have just referred had, to use a colloquialism, 'thrown in the towel', as they might well have done from the opposition they received from the communists and their fellow-travellers and others, the communists might have succeeded in rulling Australia ten years ago. And if they had given up the active fight against communists since 1955 on account of opposition from other quarters, the Communist Party might well have conquered Australia by this year of grace, 1961.
"I would exhort you now to pray about this matter. We must turn to Almighty God to help us in this struggle for the souls of men. The Church is commissioned by Christ to teach mankind; to bring all men to a knowledge of God, to a love of God, and to the service of God which will lead them to the enjoyment of Almighty God in heaven in the next world. And He has established a visible society here on earth to achieve that purpose. We believe that the visible society He established is the Catholic Church, which, therefore, has the authority of God himself to teach. That is why I and other Bishops are constantly speaking to you about such matters as communism which concern in the end your soul, because if communism ever gets control here like it has done in other parts of the world, the interests of your soul will suffer."