THE LETTER OF RETRACTION

I. INTRODUCTION

A Philippine History is inescapable and people who claim about it is arduous to rationalize. Most source
that can justify about past was a secondary sources, that’s why counterfeiting can be done by anyone. Counterfeiting
that can be use as a instrument to deviate the flow of history. However, it should not be also ignore those claims about
past. Sudden judgements regarding to its authenticity must be not dispatch. Attention for it is necessary. How can the
truth be known if it rejected? Is such a scenario, several case about past was still debatable. This paper will discuss
about “The Rizal Retraction” This matter still continues. An argument has been the greatest allegation which is most
talked about Dr. Jose Rizal. How can he be called a Philippine National Hero if he retracted everything he had all time
said, and written against Catholic Church in the last minute of his life? Or the letter was found in the Year of 1935 was
just a show to dishonor our Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal?

II. DISCUSSION

Dr. Jose Rizal

Jose Protosio Rizal Mercado y Realonda, formerly known as Dr. Jose Rizal, A Philippine National Hero. He was
born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba, Philippines. Dr. Jose Rizal recognized for the novels he had written during the
Spanish period. He act bravely against colonizer and became a member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement, which
advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain. He expressed the growing National consciousness of many
Filipinos who opposed Spanish Colonial tyranny and aspired to attain democratic right.

The Christmas of 1895 was one of the happiest events in Rizal’s Life. It was because of the presence of
Josephine, who proved to be a loving wife and good housekeeper. Josephine Bracker is an 18 year old petite Irish girl
with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a happy disposition. She is an adopted daughter of George Taufer from Hong Kong,
who came to Dapitan to seek Rizal for eye treatment. In his letter to his sister, Trinidad, on September 1895, Rizal praise
Josephine. On December 25, 1895, Rizal and Josephine gave a Christmas party at their home in Talisay. By a strange
twist of fate, it proved to be Rizal’s last Christmas in Dapitan. (Jose Rizal Web, 2004)

December 26, 1896 Rizal was accused and a Spanish court martial found Jose Rizal guilty for sedition and
sentenced him to death. December 28, 1896, Governor General Camillo Polavieja affirmed the death sentence and set
the execution of Rizal on December 30 at 7:00 o’clock in the morning and Teodora Alonzo, Rizal’s mother wrote the
Governor-General asking for clemency for her son. December 29, Real Sentence was read to Rizal early in the morning.
Father Sederra and Father Luis Viza visited Rizal and he asked them whether some of those who had been professor
were still there in Ateneo. It was as same day when Rizal decided to retract and Rizal wrote his last letter to Ferdinand
Blumentritt. December 30, 1896 at 6:00 o’clock in the morning, Jose Rizal and Josephine Bracken was married. One
hour after their marriage was the sounds of guns together of Rizal’s falls down backwards and lies on the ground facing
the sun.

The Letter of Retraction

What is Retraction? According to Wikipedia, org. Retraction is a public statement about an earlier statement that
withdraws, cancels, refutes or reverses the original statement on ceases and desists from publishing the original
statement. Did Jose Rizal Die a Catholic? After being implicated as a leader of the Philippine Revolution, Rizal was
arrested, tried and sentenced to death by a Spanish Court-Martial. The night before his execution in Luneta on
December 30,1896 spark an accounts that our National Hero, Jose Rizal, retracted his Masonic ideals and his writings
and reconverted to Catholicism following several hours of persuasion by Jesus Priest.

The Jesuits played a significant role in Rizal’s final 24 hours because Manila Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda
urged them to look after Rizal’s spiritual needs while he awaited his death. In an affidavit that he issued in 1917, Fr. Pio
Pi, the Superior of the Jesuits, declared that he had accepted the task because he considered Rizal to be Ateneo
Municipal High School’s “very distinguished and dear pupil” (Cavanna 1956, 15). The Jesuits he sent to Rizal’s detention
cell were Father Vicente Balaguer, Jose Vilaclara, Estanislao March, Luis Visa, Federico Faura, and Miguel Saderra
(Cavanna 1956, 11). Fr. Pi instructed them to persuade Rizal to retract his anti-Catholic teachings as well as his affiliation
with the Masons. The Jesuits were supposed to demand these two things before ministering the necessary sacraments.
Fr. Pi also ordered that the retraction should be in writing using either of the two sample retraction templates approved
by the archbishop.

JESSA A. BUENAOBRA
BSEd- 1D
THE LETTER OF RETRACTION
Vicente Balaguer, S. J. – A Jesuit Missionary, Rizal’s friend during his days in Dapitan. According to Father
Balaguer, he and Fr. Vilaclara visited Rizal three times. They were not able to convince Rizal to sign Retraction
document in their first and second meeting but he claimed that in the third time of meeting in 10:00 o’clock in the evening
of December 29, 1896, he managed to persuade Rizal to condemn Masonry and return to the Catholic fold. During the
meeting, he showed Rizal the two formula of Fr. Pio Pi but Rizal found the first template unacceptable because it was
too long and its language and style were not reflective of his personality. So, Fr. Balaguer withdrew it and offered the
shorter one. Rizal did not sign it right away because he was uncomfortable with the statement. The Jesuits allowed Rizal
to revise the retraction template, and he finished writing retraction when it was half past eleven and was dated December
29. The retraction was signed together with Dr. Rizal, Señor Juan del Fresno (Chief of the Picket), and Señor Eloy
Moure (Adjutant of the Plaza).After making other minor changes to the draft, Fr. Balaguer handed it over to Fr. Pi, who
in turn submitted it to Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda (Guerrero 1971, 459). Furthermore, Father Balaguer also stated
he was the one who solemnized Josephine Bracken and Rizal’s marriage, hour before the execution.

The Letter of Retraction states that:

“ I declare myself a Catholic and in this Religion in which I was born and educated I wish to live and die.

I retract with all my heart whatever in my words, writings, publications, and conduct has been contrary to my character
as son of the Catholic Church. I believe and I confess whatever she teaches, and I submit to whatever she demands. I
abominate Masonry, as the enemy which is of the Church, and as a Society prohibited by the Church. The Diocesan
Prelate may, as the Superior Ecclesiastical Authority, make public this spontaneous manifestation of mine in order to
repair the scandal which my acts may have caused and so that God and people may pardon me ”.

Manila 29 of December of 1896

Jose Rizal

There were four well-known reasons behind Rizal’s retraction. First, He wanted to marry Josephine Bracken
and to make her wife legally because the church would not allow his marriage to Josephine Bracken unless he retracted
his Masonic affiliation. Second, He wanted to protect his family. Third, He wanted to reforms from Spanish Government.
Lastly, He wanted to heal the sickness of the Catholic Church.

After Rizal’s execution, the account was met with skepticism by Rizal’s relatives and friends. Until year of 1935,
the archdiocesan archivist Fr. Manuel Gracia, was sorting through folders of documents that he would later transfer to
a newly acquired fireproof vault. While doing this, he found the “original” retraction document about Rizal in a bundle
titled Masoneria (Garcia 1964, 31–43). They asked Teodoro M. Kalaw, a Mason and the director of the National Library
at the time, to examine the document. Kalaw declared that it was “authentic, definite and final” (Pascual 1959, ix).

III. CONCLUSION

Until today, the controversy about retraction was remain unsettled. Historians and Rizal Scholar are still
debating whether Rizal retracted or not and if the paper is real or forged. Non-believer of retraction expressed their
doubts over the veracity that Rizal was retracted. They argued that retraction is fake because of the different version
and they believe that retraction is not in keeping with Rizal’s character and mature beliefs. Personally, I believe that
Rizal did not retracted. But whether he retracted or not, we must leave the issue of retraction to rest. Rizal is a hero, he
deserves to be respected. If Rizal was truly retracted, he should still called a hero. The document was just a paper but
it will not change the fact that Rizal play important role for the freedom we have today. If he didn’t and document is just
a forgeries, someone will have to face the consequences for trying to deceive a nation.

References:

https://englishkyoto-seas.org/2019/12/vol-8-no-3-rene-escalante/

https://pdfcoffee.com/fr-vicente-balaguers-statement-pdf-free.html

https://graduateway.com/jose-rizals-retraction-controversy-essay-1556-essay/

https://youtube.com/watch?v=QGzrM03cFAw&feature=share

JESSA A. BUENAOBRA
BSEd- 1D