New rules for speakers at Catholic schools

Archbishop Edward Gilbert made the announcement yesterday, in response to the address by former Miss Universe Wendy Fitzwilliam to students of the Corpus Christi College earlier this week.

At the forum, which had to be held at the St John’s RC Church because of limited space at the school, Fitzwilliam announced that she was pregnant. She has received severe criticism for choosing such a venue to share her news, with some questioning her role model status for young people. Several complaints were also made to the school.

In a statement yesterday, the Archbishop of Port-of-Spain said the guidelines for speakers will be forthcoming from the Catholic Education Board of Management. Gilbert said the leadership of Catholic schools "is not always aware of the content of a speaker’s address prior to its delivery to the students."

He assumed that that was what happened on Monday with Fitzwilliam.

Gilbert’s statement noted that Catholic schools communicated the teachings of the church on faith and morals, not only through teaching, but by witness. He said the church was fully aware that "some of its teachings are against social trends.

"Yet the church continues to struggle against the trends as it tries to be faithful to its mission of education/formation."

He said how that responsibility was being fulfilled will be part of the evaluation by the Archdiocese of the Catholic culture of its schools, which will begin later in this semester.

Both Education Minister Hazel Manning and patron of the Corpus Christi College, Sir Ellis Clarke, said it was unfortunate that Fitzwilliam chose the school to make her announcement.

Manning said the girls were "impressionable" and promised to issue a statement on the matter next week.

Clarke had said while Fitzwilliam is a grown woman and is entitled to her own point of view, what she had done (having sex before marriage) was diametrically opposed to the principles of the college.

He said steps will be taken to repeat and reinforce the principles of the school to the girls, when the Principal Sr Petronella returns. He said he intends to have her reiterate that the Catholic principles to be observed are those inculcated in them, and there was no liberty to make a choice outside. Attempts to reach Fitzwilliam yesterday were futile. Grenfell Kissoon, managing director of the Guardian, which is publishing the Guardian in Education’s Making a Difference series, promised to comment yesterday but was unavailable.