The Retraction of
RIZAL: Issues and
controversies
Jose Rizal’s Retraction:
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
Source: Jesus Cavanna, Rizal’s Unfading Glory: A Documentary
History of the Conversion of Dr. José Rizal (Manila: 1983)
2
Texts of Rizal’s Retraction
The “original” discovered by Fr.
Manuel Garcia, C.M. on May 18, 1935
Me declaro catolica y en esta Religion en que naci y me eduque quiero vivir y
morir.
Me retracto de todo corazon de cuanto en mis palabras, escritos, inpresos y
conducta ha habido contrario a mi cualidad de hijo de la Iglesia Catolica. Creo
y profeso cuanto ella enseña y me somento a cuanto ella manda. Abomino de
la Masonaria, como enigma que es de la Iglesia, y como Sociedad prohibida
por la Iglesia. Puede el Prelado Diocesano, como Autoridad Superior
Eclesiastica hacer publica esta manifastacion espontanea mia para reparar el
escandalo que mis actos hayan podido causar y para que Dios y los hombers
me perdonen.
Manila 29 de Deciembre de 1896
Jose Rizal
Jefe del Piquete
Juan del Fresno
3
Ayudante de Plaza
THE ISSUE:
THE ISSUE:
✣ For decades, the authenticity of Jose Rizal’s
retraction documents have raised issues,
skepticism, and heated debates among those
who seek to know the truth regarding this
controversy. However, the lack of evidence and
different statements by significant people
involved have only contributed to the
complications and uncertainty which envelope
this fiery argument.
5
THE ISSUE:
✣ "I retract with all my heart whatever in
my words, writings, publications and
conduct have been contrary to my
character as a son of the Catholic
Church.", this was the statement in the
document which made the historians
believed that Rizal had retracted.
6
THE ISSUE:
✣ However, there have been claims that
the document, as compared to the
original file which was discovered by
Fr. Manuel Garcia, an archdiocesan
archivist in 1935, was a forgery.
7
THE ISSUE
✣ Regardless of these claims, there are several people who
believe that the retraction documents are authentic. These
people include eleven eyewitnesses who were present when
Rizal wrote his retraction, signed a Catholic prayer book,
recited Catholic prayers, and the multitude who saw him kiss
the crucifix before his execution. Fr. Marciano Guzman, a great
grandnephew of Rizal, cites that Rizal's 4 confessions were
certified by 5 eyewitnesses, 10 qualified witnesses, 7
newspapers, and 12 historians and writers including Aglipayan
bishops, Masons and anti-clericals.
8
THE ISSUE:
✣ Because of what he sees as the strength these
direct evidence have in the light of the
historical method, in contrast with merely
circumstantial evidence, UP professor emeritus
of history Nicolas Zafra called the retraction "a
plain unadorned fact of history." Guzmán
attributes the denial of retraction to "the
blatant disbelief and stubbornness" of some
Masons.
9
Reasons for Retraction
Reasons for Retraction
1. To save his family and town from further
persecution.
Rizal may have been told that he faced the
dilemma of signing the retraction or of having
his relatives pursued by further persecutions.
Since he hoped his death would stop the
persecution of his relatives, the retraction may
have seemed to him to be the only way of
achieving that purpose.
11
Reasons for Retraction
2. To give Josephine a legal status as his
wife.
Rizal, even though he for a time
suspected Josephine as a spy, seems to
have become convinced that she now
loved him, and he may have desired to
give her a legal status in the eyes of the
church, and so provide for her future
12
Reasons for Retraction
3. To secure reforms from the Spanish
government.
13
Reasons for Retraction
4. To help the church cut away from the disease which
harmed her.
Rizal did not desire to injure the Roman Catholic
Church, but to remove the cancer which ruined both
church and state in the Philippines -- friar control of
land and domination by the government. He was also
struggling for freedom of thought and of conscience to
the individual. He may have felt that much of his
propaganda had produced the insurrection, and have
repented of that.
14
Reasons for Retraction
…His letter to Paciano, written the night
before his execution supports that theory. It
also had been suggested that Rizal may have
written the word "Catholic" in the broad
sense of the "Church Universal" as it is used
by all branches of the Christian Church
excepting the Roman Catholics. All churches
repeat, "I believe in the Holy Catholic
Church," in this broad sense.
15
MAJOR ARGUMENTS FOR
THE RETRACTION
MAJOR ARGUMENTS FOR THE
RETRACTION
✣ Dr. Eugene A. Hessel in his lecture given at Siliman
University, summarizes the major points of
argument for the Retraction of Rizal as follows:
1. The Retraction Document discovered in 1935 is
considered the chief witness to the reality of the
retraction.
2. The testimony of the press at the time of the event,
of “eye witnesses,” and other “qualified witnesses,” i.e.
those closely associated with the events such as the
head of the Jesuit order, the archbishop, etc.
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MAJOR ARGUMENTS FOR THE
RETRACTION
3. “Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity” reportedly recited
and signed by Dr. Rizal as attested by “witnesses” and a
signed Prayer Book which was amongst the documents
discovered by Father Garcia along with the Retraction.
✣ If true, Rizal would not only accept the general Roman Catholic
teachings but would agree to a number of beliefs which he had
previously disclaimed.
✣ According to the testimony of Father Balaguer, following the signing
of the Retraction a prayer book was offered to Rizal. “He took the
prayer book, read slowly those acts, accepted them, and took the
pen and sad ‘Credo’ (I believe) he signed the acts with his name in
the book itself.”
18
MAJOR ARGUMENTS FOR THE
RETRACTION
4. Acts of Piety performed by Rizal
during his last hours as testified to by
“witnesses.”
5. His “Roman Catholic Marriage” to
Josephine Bracken as attested to by
“witnesses.” There could be no marriage
without a retraction.
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CASES AGAINST THE
RETRACTION
CASES AGAINST THE
RETRACTION
1. The Retraction Document is said to be a
forgery. There are four points against the
document itself.
✣ First of all there is the matter of the
handwriting. To date, the only scientific study
criticizing the authenticity of the document
was made by Dr. Ricardo R. Pascual of the
University of the Philippines shortly after the
document was found
21
✣ Having some of Rizal’s writings dating from
the last half of December 1896 as his
“standard”, he notes a number of variations
with the handwriting of the document, he
further concluded that it was a “one-man
document” because of the similarities in
several respects between the body of the
Retraction and the writing of all three signers:
Rizal and the two witnesses.
22
✣ A second argument directed against
the authenticity of the document itself
is based on the principles of textual
criticism. Several critics have noted
differences between the text of the
document found in 1935 and other
versions of the Retraction including the
one issued by Father Balaguer.
23
✣ A third argument applies to the Retraction
itself is that its content is in part strangely
worded, e.g. in the Catholic Religion “I wish to
live and die,” yet there was little time to live,
and also Rizal’s claim that his retraction was
“spontaneous.
24
✣ Finally, there is the “confession” of
“the forger.” Antonio K. Abad tells how
on August 13, 1901 at a party at his
ancestral home in San Isidro, Nueva
Ecija a certain Roman Roque told how
he was employed by the Friars earlier
that same year to make several copies
of a retraction document.
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CASES AGAINST THE
RETRACTION
2. The second main line of argument against
the Retraction is the claim that other acts and
facts do not fit well with the story of the
Retraction. Those most often referred to by
writers as follows:
26
✣ The document of Retraction was not
made public until 1935. Even members
of the family did not see it. It was said
to be “lost.”
27
✣ No effort was made to save Rizal from
the death penalty after his signing
of the Retraction.
• The usual rebuttal is that Rizal’s death
was due to political factors and with this
the religious authorities could not interfere.
28
✣ Rizal’s burial was kept secret; he was buried outside the
inner wall of the Paco cemetery; and the record of his
burial was not placed on the page for entries of Dec.
30th.
✣ There is no marriage certificate or public record of the
marriage of Rizal with Josephine Bracken.
✣ Rizal’s behavior as a whole during his last days at Fort
Santiago and during the last 24 hours in particular does
not point to a conversion.
29
CASES AGAINST THE
RETRACTION
3. The third chief line of
argument against the Retraction is that
it is out of character.
30
✣ Senator Rafael Palma, a former President
of the University of the Philippines and a
prominent Mason, also argued that if Rizal
retracted, it would have been a very
drastic change of character in Rizal which
is very hard to believe knowing how
mature and strong in his beliefs Rizal was.
He called the retraction story a "pious
fraud.”
31
✣ To conclude, whether or not Jose Rizal
retracted, the researchers believe that
the retraction document was more of
Rizal taking a moral courage to
recognize his mistakes.
32
Sources:
✣ Ricardo P. Garcia, The Great Debate: The Rizal Retraction
(pp. 9-19; pp. 31-43).
✣ Dr. Eugene A. Hessel. Rizal's Retraction: A Note on the Debate.
http://joserizal.nhcp.gov.ph/Reflections/retraction.htm
✣ Did Rizal Retract?
http://joserizal.nhcp.gov.ph/Biography/man_and_martyr/chapter16.
htm
✣ http://nhcp.gov.ph/the-rizal-retraction-and-other-cases/
✣ http://joserizal.nhcp.gov.ph/Reflections/retraction.htm
✣ http://primacyofreason.blogspot.com/2013/06/jose-rizals-
retraction-controversy.html
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