Lesson 11: The Rizal Retraction - His first study on Rizal was on the latter’s year-long stay in Hong

was on the latter’s year-long stay in Hong Kong.

- This early awareness on Rizal eventually led to the writing and publication of his
 Historical Context
book entitled “Rizal: Philippine Nationalist and Martyr” which was the first Rizal
- Dr. Jose Rizal was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death by a Spanish court-martial
biography written by a European since “Vida y Escritos del Dr. Jose Rizal” by
after being implicated as a leader of the Philippine Revolution.
Wenceslao Retana in 1907.
- The night before his death on December 30, 1896, accounts exist that Rizal allegedly
- The second edition of the book was published in the Philippines by Solidaridad
retracted his Masonic ideals and his writings and reconverted to Catholicism following
Publishing House in 1902.
several hours of persuasion by Jesuit priests.
- His analyses of Rizal’s retraction and other events that happened before his
- There was considerable doubt to this allegation by Rizal’s family and friends until in
execution are found in Part VII Chapter 5.
1935, the supposed retraction document with Rizal’s signature was found.
 Account of Fr. Vicente Balaguer
- Until today, the issue whether Rizal retracted or not and whether the document is
- About 10:00 in the morning on December 29 when Fr. Vilaclara and Fr. Balaguer went to
forged or real is a subject of continuous debate between historians and Rizal scholars
Fort Santiago.
alike.
- When the Archbishop sent his commission to Ateneo, he remarked that before
- The following primary sources are of 2 kinds: The first two are the official accounts as
ministering the Sacraments to him, Dr. Rizal should make a retraction of errors publicly
witnessed by the Jesuits who were instrumental in the alleged retraction of Rizal
professed to him in words and writings and a profession of the Catholic faith.
(Accounts of Fr. Vicente Balaguer and Fr. Pio Pi) and the other two are critical analyses
- When the Father Superior of the Mission went to the Archbishop’s Palace, he brought
by two Royalist scholars who doubted the story of the retraction (Accounts of Rafael
by way of precaution a retraction and profession of faith, concise, but including what he
Palma and Austin Coates)
thought out to be extracted from Dr. Rizal.
A. Fr. Vicente Balaguer
- The Prelate read what they brought and declared it to be sufficient.
- He was one of the Jesuit priests who visited Rizal during his last hours in Fort
- Before going to the Fort, Fr. Balaguer went to the Palace in order to receive orders and
Santiago.
instructions from the Prelate. The Archbishop gave Balaguer the formula of retraction
- Claimed that he managed to persuade Rizal to denounce Masonry and return to
and profession of faith, composed by Fr. Pio Pi.
the Catholic fold.
- When Fr. Balaguer and Fr. Vilaclara met Rizal in the chapel and after exchanging
- Balaguer also claimed that he was the one who solemnized the marriage of
greetings and talking various matters with him, Fr. Balaguer asked Rizal to give an
Josephine Bracken and Rizal hours before Rizal’s execution.
explanation of his ideas on religion.
B. Fr. Pio Pi
- Rizal responded that more or less explicitly that his rule of faith was the word of God
- He was a Jesuit Superior in the Philippines during the time when Rizal was
contained in the Sacred Scripture. He declared himself openly a rationalist freethinker,
executed.
unwell to admit any other criterion of truth than individual reason. (Pina-highlight ni
- In 1917, he issued an affidavit recounting his involvement in the alleged retraction
maam)
of Rizal.
- Then Fr. Balaguer pointed out to him that absurdity of rationalism for the lack of
- Unlike Balaguer, Pi was involved only in securing the retraction document from the
instruction of the immense majority of humankind.
Archbishop of Manila Bernardino Nozaleda.
- When he attacked Rizal with the arguments of Catholic doctrine, Rizal began to expound
- Writes another shorter retraction document was well which was the one Rizal
the objections of the heretics and rationalists, a thousand times refuted already. When
allegedly copied.
Fr. Balaguer attacked Rizal with the logic and evidence of Catholic truth, he told Rizal
that if he did not yield his mind and reason for the sake of faith, he would soon appear
C. Rafael Palma
for judgment before God and would surely be damned.
- He was a lawyer, writer, educator, and politician.
- At 3:00, Fr. Balaguer returned to the Royal Fort where Fr. Vilaclara had remained, and
- He was the author of “Biografia de Rizal”, a work on the life of the National Hero
Fr. Balaguer resumed the discussion with Dr. Rizal arriving at the point which he already
which won a literary contest in 1938 sponsored by the Commonwealth
indicated.
Government.
- Fr. Balaguer went to Ateneo and went to Fr. Viza to the Palace. There, he reported on
- The publication of the book was postponed because of World War II and only saw
the condition of Rizal since he had asked for the formula of retraction.
print in 1949 (panahon ni Manuel Roxas)
- Hence, Fr. Balaguer requested the Prelate for the formula he had promised, and he told
- In 1949, an English translation by Roman Ozaeta with the title “Pride of the Malay
him that it was not yet finished but soon it will be finished.
Race” was published by Prentice-Hall, Inc.
- It was already night when Fr. Balaguer arrived at the Fort and he found Rizal impatient.
- The story of Rizal’s alleged retraction is found in Chapters 32 and 33 with Palma’s
- Rizal asked for the formula of the Prelate. The formula came at last at about 10:00, upon
analysis in the latter chapter.
knowing it, Rizal asked Fr. Balaguer to read it for him.
D. Austin Coates
- Rizal did not liked the first version of retraction but when Fr. Balaguer brought out the
- His interest in Jose Rizal began when he was Assistant Colonial Secretary and
version written by Fr. Pio, Rizal told him that don’t bother to read it all since he liked it.
Magistrate in Hong Kong in 1950.
- As Fr. Balaguer suggested the idea, Rizal proceeded to write with steady hand and clear
letters, making at times some observation or adding some phrase.
- Rizal finished the writing and it was half past 11:00 and dated December 29.
- Rizal’s declaration of retraction was signed together with Rizal by Señor Fresno, Chief of
the Picket, and Señor Moure, Adjutant of the Plaza.
- Dr. Rizal knelt down of his own accord before the altar of the Virgin, placed in the chapel
cell. Rizal asked Fr. Balaguer for his retraction and profession of faith and proceeded to
read it with pause and devotion.
- Before Rizal reached the Bagumbayan, Fr. Balaguer went to Ateneo and delivered the
document to Fr. Pio Pi and brought it to Archbishop Nozaleda.
- Isa mga kahina-hinala sa account ni Balaguer ay yung pag-utos ni Rizal sa kanya na
basahin yung naunang pinresenta na formula of retraction. Hindi naman illiterate si Rizal
at hindi ganon ang ugali ni Rizal. At isa pa, sa husay niya sa pagsulat, hindi niya
magagawang magpagawa or magpasulat sa iba.
 Account of Fr. Pio Pi
- On the eve of the day when Dr. Rizal was put in the chapel on December 28, Fr. Pi
received the commission, which Archbishop Nozaleda entrusted to the Jesuit Fathers.
- Rizal had always preserved for them, the Jesuits, a special esteem and affection even
after his estrangement from the Church and had rendered us good service.
- All the priests who remained with Rizal, went to the Fort at Fr. Pi’s request and kept him
informed of all the happenings.
- In regard to conversion, at the beginning not a little difficulty was found in convincing
and persuading him.
- A long discussion became necessary in order to revive in that soul the faith of old and
his Christian sentiments.
- At last, Rizal surrendered so willingly and so completely, and the proofs of religiousness
and piety were such and so many that the most exacting person would have been
satisfied.
- When the retraction was to be subscribed to, Rizal found certain objections in the form
of the composition presented by Fr. Balaguer. The one which Fr. Pi made was shorter
although conclusive, and this pleased Rizal.
- Rizal wished to introduce some little modifications. He wrote it entirely in his own hand
and signed it with a steady hand. Beneath Rizal’s signature, the Chief of Picket, Juan del
Fresno, and the Adjutant of the Plaza, Eloy Moure, also signed as witnesses.
- Rizal himself, without pressure from anyone, took into his hands his own document and
knelt down before the altar of the chapel.
- Aloud and slowly, and even with certain solemnity, he read his own retraction.
- Isa sa mga grabeng kasinungalingang sinulat ni Pio Pi ay ang pagsasabi ni Rizal na
nagbago na siya at hindi na siya ang Rizal na tulad ng dati which is very unlikely to
happen.
 Account of Rafael Palma
- For the first time in this work, those who should have spoken from the beginning
because of their direct intervention in the act of conversion and retraction of Rizal,
speak and confirm in all its parts the narrative which appeared in 1897 in “Rizal y su
Obra” (y su obra means “my works”)
- All the declarations therein cited are those of ecclesiastics and their friends, and it is to
be supposed that all of the latter would not contradict the version given by the former.
- The only testimony that might be considered impartial is that of Travel de Andrade, the
defense counsel of Rizal, but his testimony to the conversion of Rizal is mere hearsay.
(Andrade was the lawyer picked by Rizal among hundreds of lawyers; he was the
brother of Jose Travel de Andrade who became a friend of Rizal in Laguna and he
became under surveillance by the friars; Rizal reported to Gov. Gen Terrero)
- Jose Travel de Andrade was the body guard assigned by Gov. Gen. Terrero to monitor
Rizal because Rizal went to the office of the governor saying that he had death threats
the first time he arrived in Europe because Terrero was afraid that he might be blamed
whenever something unfavorable happened to Rizal. In short, compared sa mga friars,
siya ay may concern pa rin sa image in Spain kung sakaling maexecute si Rizal.
- The Travel de Andrade brothers are men of integrity and honor. Friars had many bias
judgments even before anything else. The evidences provided by the friars were
fabricated, misinterpreted, and false documents.
- We must consider the weight and value of these testimonies which to be partial and
interested. As Brutus said “You are a friend, but truth is a greater friend”. Lastly, we
must consider whether the coetaneous acts performed by the ecclesiastical authorities
(ecclesiastical are the church authorities) or by the government are in accord with the
belief that Rizal had been converted for if they are not, they would not produce the
moral evidence that is needed.
- These acts tend to demonstrate that Rizal was not reconciled with the Catholic Church,
judging from the way they treated him after his death. (pinahighlight ni maam)
- In the first place, the document of retraction was kept secret so that no one except the
authorities was able to see it at that time. Only copies of it were furnished the
newspapers, but, with the exception of one person, nobody saw the original. In fact, this
original was kept in such a way that it was not found until after thirty years had
transpired.
- In the second place, when the family of Rizal asked for the original of the said copy or
document of it as well as the copy of the certificate of canonical marriage with
Josephine Bracken, both petitions were denied. (Note: Hindi nakapagpakasal ang dalawa
dahil ayaw ng simbahan. Hinihingan ng commission si Rizal kung sakaling magpapakasal
nga sila) (Kung talaga ngang kinasal ang dalawa, bakit walang info about sa kung sino
nagregister, sino nagkasal, sino pumirma)
- In the third place, Rizal’s burial was kept secret, the cadaver having been delivered to
the members of a Catholic association friendly to the friars instead of being delivered to
the family, who had claimed it. (Ang nakakapagtaka ditto ay hindi sa pamilya ibinigay
yung bangkay ni Rizal)
- In the fourth place, in spite of what Rizal meant to the Filipinos and of what his
conversion meant, no masses were said for his soul or funeral held by the Catholics.
- In the fifth place, notwithstanding the claim that Rizal was reconciled with the church,
he was not buried in the Catholic cemetery of Paco but in the ground without any cross
or stone to mark his grave. (Lahat ng simenteryo sa Maynila ay pinuntahan ng pamilya ni
Rizal at pagdating nila sa Paco cemetery ay nakakita sila ng bagong lagay na lupa na para
bang bagong libing lang at doon na nila inassume na nandoon ang bangkay; Kung
talagang nagretract siya bakit hindi nila nilagay sa libingang pang Katoliko)
- In the sixth place, the entry in the book burials of the interment of Rizal’s body is not
made on the page with those buried on December 30, 1896, where there were as many
as six entries, but on a special page wherein appear those buried by special orders of the
authorities. He was considered among persons who died impenitent and did not receive
 spiritual aid. (Impenitent are those people na pasaway na Katoliko at hindi nabuhay mention of it in his account which was not within Fort Santiago during the middle of
bilang Kristyano) that last night, and had no knowledge of what was taking place.
- In the seventh and last place, there was no moral motive for the conversion. The - Balaguer also made his account so elaborate that Rizal was not allowed to write and
extraordinary or abnormal acts of a person are always to some reason or rational only a glance at the Ultimo Adios is needed to show that it would have taken several
motive. hours to write.
- Rizal was a man of character and he had demonstrated it in his many circumstances of  Lecture from the Discussion
his life. He was not likely to yield his ideas because his former preceptors and teachers - Fr. Balaguer and Fr. Pi insisted that Rizal retracted.
talked to him. - Rizal was a member of the masonry which was a group of intellectual people, made up
- Rizal’s conversion was a pious fraud to make the people believe that extraordinary man of scholars, historians, journalists, and critics of the Spanish government.
broke down and succumbed before the church which he had fought. - The masonry that was established in Spain its original chairperson was Miguel Morayta.
- The archbishop was interested in his conversion for political motives. - When Rizal was in Europe, Fr. Miguel Morayta invited Rizal and Marcelo Del Pilar for the
- In the perspective of Rafael Palma, which is one of the best analyses regarding to Rizal’s masonry.
retraction, hindi dapat na paniwalaan ang issue dahil si Rizal ay hindi tipo ng taong - Pero ang tingin ng mga Kastila sa masonry ay isang grupo ng mga rebelde because they
gagawa ng ganong gawain. continuously attacked Spain as well as the friars’ evil plans
- Natagpuan ang original copy ng retraction noong 1935 na panahon ng Commonwealth
 Account of Austin Coates
with Manuel Quezon.
- The morning after the execution, the newspapers of Manila and Madrid recorded the
- Treaty of Paris was executed on 1898 at nahuli si Aguinaldo noong 1901.
event; Rizal had retracted his religious errors, adjured freemasonry, and in the last hours
- Isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit hindi dapat paniwalaan ang pag retract niRizal ay yung
of his life had married Josephine Bracken.
bangkay niya. Tinago ng mga Kastila ang bangkay niya after the execution at hindi
- Through the government, the announcement was sent to Spanish consulates abroad
pinayagan ang pamilyaniya na marecover ang labi ni Rizal. Imposible ring ililibing ng mga
with the request to obtain for it the widest possible publicity.
Kastila si Rizal sa libingan ng mga Katoliko.
- Rizal believed that there was a strong likelihood of fraud, and that the prime mover in
- Kung totoo ngang nagretract talaga si Rizal, hindi nila itatago yung bangkay niya.
this would be the friar archbishop. It was the friars who wanted his retraction.
- Sa Paco cemetery ay nakakita ang pamilya ni Rizal ng isang hukay na bago lamang.
- But while in the event Rizal’s intuition did not play him false, there is no evidence to
- Up to this moment, the believers and the non-believers keep on debating whether the
implicate Nozaleda.
retraction is real or not.
- Fr. Balaguer had the intelligence to perceive that everything depended on the speed and
- The retraction was one of the ways the Spaniards saw in order for them to discredit
audacity with which he declared his success. The Archbishop was waiting for a retraction
Rizal’s greatness.
and hoping for it.
- We can say that in Vicente Balaguer’s account, he is definitely lying.
- Certainly, there was no signed letter of retraction. Rizal knew too well the damage such
- The friars told Rizal not to interpret the Bible and stop claiming that he’s freethinker
a letter would do to him, besides which he believed before God he had nothing to
rationalist.
retract.
- But Rizal replied that the friars do not also have any rights to interpret the Bible.
- Once the execution was over, and Vilaclara and March returned to be faced with
- Ang pananampalataya ay paniniwala sa isang bagay na hindi mo naman nakikita o
Balaguer’s claims, the fraud was apparent to the Jesuits, but it was already too late to
nahahawakan. Hindi narin kailangan ng anumang pruweba.
rectify matters.
- Terrorism is the most dangerous faceless problem in the world which is worse that rape,
- Neither Pio Pi y Vidal nor any of the Jesuits of probity believed that Rizal had retracted
corruption, drug addiction, and the like.
and died confessed.
- Ang isa sa mga pinakamalaking pagkakamali ng sanlibutan ay yung pagiinterpret ng Bible
- The Jesuits had been entrusted by the Archbishop with the spiritual care of Rizal, and it
ayon sa kanilang individual reason.
was their responsibility.
- Hindi pari ang nagiinterpret ng Bible bagkus ang Bible mismo ang nagiinterpret sa sarili
- The Rizal family found it difficult to accept either the retraction or the marriage.
niya. Wala sinumang nilalang ang pwedeng maginterpret sa Bible.
- Difficulties began as disbelief spread, and they were deepened by Balaguer’s urge to
- Great Britain and China ang dalawang bansa na involved sa Opium Wars.
elaborate and to see him publicly praised.
- Si Archbishop Nozaleda ang archbishop ng Manila noong mga panahong iyon. Nakaaway
- As Balaguer affirmed on oath in 1909, he settled down that very night, 29th of
ito ni Fr. Gregorio Aglipay.
December, to write his account since he intended it to be e published anonymously, he
- Ang pinakamatalinong pagatake or analysis ay yung account ni Rafael Palma.
included much praise of himself since he admitted the authorship, renders him a sorry
- Isa pa sa mga kahinahinala ay bakit pa kailangan itago ng mga Kastila yung bangkay ni
and rather absurd figure.
Rizal kung humingi naman ito ng tawad. Kung humingi talaga ng tawad si Rizal, dapat ay
- Fr. Balaguer did not mention any “Ultimo Adios” in his account.
binasbasan siya sa simbahan at inilibing sa sementeryong pang Katoliko.
- On the night of December 29, Rizal wished to write verses Balaguer knew. But when the
- Ang pagsasabi ni Balaguer na tunay na kinasal si Rizal at Josephine Bracken eh
following morning, only letters books, and an alcohol burner remained to be disposed of
samantalang never na sinabi ni Josephine Bracken na kinasal sila ni Rizal. Wala silang
by the authorities, Balaguer concluded that no poem had been written and made no
marriage certificate at hindi ginamit ni Bracken ang surname ni Rizal.
- Si Josephine Bracken ay minsang napagkamalang spy ng mga prayle dahil punta siya ng
punta sa office ng mga prayle, pero ang totoo ay pinapakiusap niya kung pwedeng itigil
na ang pagpapahirap kay Rizal.
- Isa pa ay walang nakapangalang patay dun sa araw na pinatay si Rizal. So basically, hindi
nilista ng mga Kastila ang pagkamatay ni Rizal. Lumalabas na walng nilibing nung araw
na iyon.
- Remember that Fr. Balaguer and Fr. Pi are not direct sources.