RETRACTION

GROUP 4 |3BIO7
GERONIMO | GO | GOMEZ | HERRERA | LAGRAMA
WHAT IS RETRACTION?

 Merriam-Webster Learners Dictionary

o totake back (something, such as an
offer or promise)
 Cambridge Dictionary
o totake back an offer or statement, etc.
or admit that a statement was false
ON RIZAL’S BELIEF

 Rizal was excommunicated by the Catholic

Church when he joined the Masonry.

 Rizal was hunted down by the friars not only

because of his book, Noli Me Tangere but also
because he was charged by the Dominicans of
being a heretic and agitator.
ON RIZAL’S BELIEF

 Dr. Jose Rizal attacked the Catholic Church's

doctrines on Miracles, Purgatory, Confession,
Trinity, Dual Nature of Christ, etc. through his
writings.
 The Catholic Church opposed to the bill
requiring Filipino students to read the books of
Rizal because they contain passages against
the Roman Catholic Church.
ON RIZAL’S RETRACTION

 “Retraction Letter” – contains Rizal renunciation

of the Masonry and his anti-Catholic religious
ideas
 Four texts have surfaced on the retraction of
Rizal.
ON THE CHURCH INSISTING HIS
RETRACTION
 From 1892 to 1896, during his period of exile in Dapitan, the
Catholic Church attempted to redirect his beliefs regarding
religious faith, albeit unsuccessfully.

 From the dark days of exile in Dapitan, to the even darker

days of imprisonment at Fort Santiago, the Catholic Church
had demanded from Dr. Jose Rizal a retraction before a
canonical marriage could be performed.
ON RIZAL’S RETRACTION

 First text
 La Voz Española and Diaro de Manila
 29 December 1896, 11:30 pm
 Witnesses: Juan del Presno, the Chief of the Guard
Detail & Eloy Moure, the Adjudant of the Plaza
 Second text
 La Juventud
 14 February 1897
 Fr. Balaguer.
ON RIZAL’S RETRACTION

 The "original" text

o Archdiocesan archives
o 18 May 1935
 Fourth text
o El Imparcial
o 30 December 1896
 ON RIZAL’S RETRACTION
“I declare myself a Catholic and in this religion in which I was born 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
PROOF OF RIZAL’S
RETRACTION
The letter Rizal sent to his mother

 He was exiled to Dapitan

“ Three Spaniards from a neighboring town came, and
with the Commandant, a peninsular of this town and a
Frenchman, we had a happy feast on Christmas Eve.
We heard Mass at 12:00 midnight, for you know, Mother,
here I go to mass every Sunday.”
Willingness to Retract

 The church did not approve the life Josephine and Jose
Rizal lived so he decided to marry her.
 Rizal needed to retract his masonic affiliation in order to
marry Josephine.
 He wasn’t in a high position in the masonry so he could
have easily retracted.
Willingness to Retract

 Rizal wrote a form of retraction which was agreed upon between

him and Father Obach.

 If Rizal had wanted to retract then in order to avoid public scandal

and out of respect for the custom of the people, wouldn’t he have
done the same before his execution?
Eyewitnesses – Fr. Vicente Balaguer

 Fr. Vicente Balaguer

 A missionary that Rizal met in Dapitan
 December 29, 1896 – Upon Rizal’s request, Father Pi sent Father
Saderra and Father Luis Viza to the Fort. Rizal asked who among his
professors were still in Ateneo and they said only Father Vilaclara
remained. It was mentioned to Rizal that Fr. Balaguer was also in
Manila and Rizal asked for his presence too.
Eyewitnesses – Fr. Vicente Balaguer

 If he was against retraction, why would he ask for the same Jesuit
fathers who had asked him to retract before if he knows that they
would persuade him again especially because he only had one day
left to live?

 When Fr. Balaguer and Fr. Vilaclara went to Fort Santiago, they were
instructed that, in case Rizal wanted to retract, he should first “make
a retraction of errors publicly professed by him in words and writings,
and a profession of the Catholic faith”
Eyewitnesses – Fr. Vicente Balaguer

 He asked Rizal about his views on Religion. Rizal appeared

to be a Protestant but revealed himself as a rationalist or
freethinker.

“I declare myself a Catholic and in this religion I wish to live

and die” but Rizal wanted to add “in which I was born and
educated” as if Rizal wanted to let his Catholic education
be known.
Eyewitnesses – Fr. Vicente Balaguer

 Fr. Balaguer left with Josephine Bracken and a sister of

Rizal. He had with him Rizal’s retraction signed by Rizal
himself and by the witnesses. He delivered it to Father
Pi and brought it to Arcbishop Nozaleda.
Eyewitnesses – Lieutenant Mariano
Matinez Gallegos y Lasala
 Rizal wrote a document of retraction and profession of
Catholicism

 Rizal read on his knees, aloud, his abjuration and profession of

Catholic faith, as well as the acts of faith, hope and charity
contained in a devotional.

 Rizal heard mass and received the sacred communion

Eyewitnesses – Lieutenant Mariano
Matinez Gallegos y Lasala
 Rizal is canonically married with Josephine Bracken.

 Rizal received the scapular of the Immaculate,

prayed the rosary, kissed the image of the Scared
Heart of Jesus… so I have no doubt on the sincerity
of his conversion.
 Marriage of Rizal and Josephine 👫
 Retraction is sine qua non to marriage
 Fr. Balaguer was the priest that married Rizal
and Josephine
 He never called Josephine his wife until before
he went to his execution.
Catholic Devotional Books
 Aceptación de la Muerte
o Acts of Faith, Hope and Charity
o Signed page 49
o Went to confession and received Holy Communion
 De la Imitacion de Cristo
o “To my dear and unhappy wife Josephine
o Josefa
 Ancora de Salvacion - Trinidad
The two Priests and the Crucifix

 Fathers Vilaclara and March escorted Rizal

together with Taviel de Andrade

 He shook the Jesuit fathers’ hands and they

gave him a crucifix to kiss.
Document of Retraction –
Fr. Manuel A. Garcia
 Archdiocesan archivist in 1935
 Professor of History in Manila Seminary
 Found a bundle of papers entitled “Masoneria” which
contained Rizal’s Retraction
 The document was studied by Prof. H. Otley Beyer
and a recognized handwriting expert whether the
document was genuine.
Document of Retraction –
Fr. Manuel A. Garcia
 Prof. Beyer delivered a speech about the
documents which was filed together with papers on
his marriage to Josephine Bracken and other letters
signed by Rizal. He was convinced that the
handwriting in the retraction letter matched the
handwritings of the other letters. The characteristics
of a man can be seen through his handwriting.
Document of Retraction –
Dr. Jose I. del Rosario
A handwriting expert
 The way Rizal wrote specific letters in comparison to
his other writings proves that the retraction is
authentic.
 The condition of the document – presence of
perforations caused by termites
Document of Retraction

“I abominate Masonry as the enemy of the

Church and reprobated by the same Church”

• Rizal was not against the Catholic religion but the

manner the Catholic religion was practiced by the
friars in the Philippines during his time.
FICTION OF
THE RIZAL
RETRACTION
Chronology of the Attacks

 story of anti retraction began in

December 31, 1896
 RIZAL, an anonymous leaflet, was
distributed around Manila to refute
Rizal's retraction
Chronology of the Attacks

 January 1897, Friedrich Stahl, a manila pharmacist, wrote a

letter to Blumentritt denying the retraction.

"It is in the hands of the Archbishop“

 March 6, 1897, Don Jose Alejandrino wrote to the Filipino

Committee of Hongkong:

" . . . It seems that the Spaniards want to persecute him

even in the tomb."
Chronology of the Attacks

 September 13, 1908, Don Ambrosio Flores, a mason, said in part,

"...If Rizal did retract, he might have done it through altruism and
not for personal interest."

 December 28, 1912, Hermenegildo Cruz, a mason, published in La

vanguardia,

"Rizal was more intelligent than the Jesuits, and for this
reason it is not possible that these might have overcome him."
Chronology of the Attacks
 November 15, 1935, Prof. Ricardo R. Pascual
published in his book, Dr. Jose Rizal Beyond the
Grave, said,

" How about the difference in the form if letters,

slants, habit of writing, distinct characteristics in
the signatures between the genuine writings on
one hand and the retraction on the other, and
the close affinity between the writings supposed
to be done by different persons in the same
documents?"
Chronology of the Attacks

 1949, ex- Justice Toman Ozaeta published, The

Pride of the Malay Race, said,

"Of this version circulated by the ecclesiastical

authorities of the time, the part which refers to
Rizal's abjuration of Masonry and to his
conversion to Catholicism at the last hours was
not considered satisfactory and truthful."
According to Gumersindo Garcia:
 Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismoand his “Letter to
the Women of Malolos”

 immense courage in fighting the tyranny

 devotion and patriotism

 would not willingly breakdown suddenly and write the

alleged retraction simply to renounce masonry and
return to the Catholic Church for fear of damnation
According to Gumersindo Garcia:
“If the objective of the retraction was to get Rizal back to the Catholic
Church from which he allegedly strayed and was through that retraction
thus accepted as a full fledged Catholic . . . .”

 Why was he buried at Paco cemetery which was a plot

outside the Roman Catholic Church?

 Why didn’t his name appear in the list of Bonafide

Catholics in the entry of deaths on Dec. 30, 1896, but
was listed with criminals?
According to Palma:
 Jesuits in Dapitan required Rizal first to retract his religious
and political ideas
 Submit himself to spiritual exercise before being allowed
to live at the order’s mission-house but to which
conditions the Filipino hero refused to accede
 Jesuits sent Fr. Pablo Pastells to overcome Rizal’s
resistance

“You do not convince me, Father, you do

not convince me. I am sorry.”
Jesuits’ Schemes

 The Jesuits had taken over to use Rizal, even in death, to

fight the Roman Catholic Church’s enemies, particularly
Freemasonry.

 Destroy his character to avenge their embarrassment

caused by Rizal’s deviation from Catholicism

 One of the schemes used was to require Rizal to retract

before he could marry Josephine Bracken
Forgery

 3 different texts of the alleged retraction

 All Jesuits
 Fr. Pio Pi- La Muerte Cristiana del Doctor Rizal
 Fr. Manuel A. Gracia- Cultura Social
 Fr. Francisco A. Ortiz- Rizal
Forgery

 Fr. Pi’s text that was allegedly copied verbatim

has marked variations from the text of the
document supposedly discovered by Fr. Manuel
Gracia
 Multi-doctored dates in the reproductions
published by the Catholic Hierarchy of the
Philippines
Forgery
 6 published reproductions or facsimiles
 Photostatic copy of Rizal’s retraction with his
short note to Luis Taviel Andrade
 Convince the reader that the retraction
document was in the handwriting of Rizal by
virtue of the perfect identical forms
 Rizal could not have done the imitation so good
himself
Forger
 Roman Roque
o The friars asked Roque if he was a good Catholic
o Friars were scared of Protestantism
o Had to forge the retraction of the Filipino hero to
prove himself
o Told Don Antonio Abad’s father about the forgery
 Lazaro Segovia - mastermind of forgeries
o Utilized by the Catholic fathers in forging Rizal’s
retraction
o One of the guards sent to accompany Rizal
 👍👎

INTERVIEWS

🐯 🙋🙇
PRO-RETRACTION
 Edward Padilla 🐯
Professor at the University of Santo Tomas

Believes that Rizal did RETRACT ✔️ “He was able to contribute a lot so his

For the following reasons: contributions must not be overlooked

 Rizal is misunderstood. He wrote El just because he did or did not retract.

Filibusterismo but it was never his His retraction is a tiny glitch,
intention to be freed from Spain
compared to his humongous amount
 It does not matter.
of contribution."
 It will not do anything good or bad
 Rafael Ivan Mendiola
AB Legal Management

Retraction is TRUE ✔️
“I agree with some experts that Jose Rizal really did retracted. Based on
my knowledge about the document, some historians believe that there
were witnesses when Rizal wrote his retraction. Also, Jose Rizal really did die
as a Catholic. He was buried inside the sacred grounds of Paco Cemetery,
which I believe is a Catholic cemetery. I think Rizal retracted because he
wants to die in peace. Rizal is not a perfect person. I know he only spoke
bad words and did bad things for our country and fellow countrymen, to
awaken our knowledge of nationalism. “
 Dr. Augusto De Viana
Retraction is TRUE
“He (Rizal) retracted. He died as a Catholic, and a proof that he died
as a Catholic was he was buried inside the sacred grounds of Paco
Cemetery,”

“Anti-retractionists ask, ‘What kind of hero is Jose Rizal?’ They say he

was fickle-minded. Well, that may be true, but that is human character.
Rizal was not a perfect person,”

“Rizal awakened our knowledge of nationalism. For me, that is enough.

The issue will not invalidate his works in any way.”

(THIS INTERVIEW WAS OBTAINED FROM THE INTERNET)

ANTI-RETRACTION
 Maria Teriz Castro 🐯
AB Creatives Committee; UST Journal; Editorial Intern at Inq.net

Retraction is FALSE ❌

“Its just an issue na hindi pa nareresolve but in my

opinion he's a member of a mason and part ng virtues
ng masonry is to veer away from religion because you
have to veer away from God and he became faithful
to that brotherhood so I believe na false yun retraction
kasi it's told na may forgery and not only that but it
could be na finorce siya sulatin un retraction para lang
masabi na nagretract.”
 Josie Verde 🐯
AB Political Science; UST; Staff in the Office of the Vice President

Retraction is FALSE ❌
”Retraction by definition is saying that something you said is
wrong or not true. In the aspect of him being an author, he
wrote Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo for the purpose of
awakening the Filipinos from the wrong doings of the
Spaniards. Given that the Spaniards are being spoken ill in his
writings, Spaniards wanted him out of the picture. So when Rizal
was taken captive, he didn't denied all his motives and such in
the interrogations just to save his life, but instead he affirmed it.
The storyline and characters with hidden metaphors from his
life, was never taken aback by him in the latter years.
 Jose Victor Torres
Professor at the History department of the De La Salle University

Retraction is FALSE
“Personally, I did not believe he retracted, but some documents that was purchased by the
Philippine government from Spain in the mid-1990s, the “Cuerpo de Vigilancia de Manila,”
showed some interesting points about the retraction.”

“Even though it would be easy to say he retracted all that he wrote about the Church, it still
did not change the fact that his writings began the wheels of change in Philippine colonial
society during the Spanish period—a change that led to our independence.”

“The retraction is just one aspect of the life, works, and writings of Rizal.”

“The way Rizal is taught in schools today, the retraction means nothing,”

(THIS INTERVIEW WAS OBTAINED FROM THE INTERNET)

“There would have been witnesses if he really signed the retraction paper. I also think that there
are a lot of people who were against Rizal and could set him up.”

- Jacqueline Tan

“I don’t think Rizal signed the retraction. As said in the article, there are instances that it was
forged by somebody. Rizal is smart and good enough for this kind of issue.

- Samala, Stephanie

(THIS INTERVIEW WAS OBTAINED FROM THE INTERNET)

“Every detail about Rizal signing the retraction could be fabricated since they don’t have
enough proof that Rizal actually signed it. Besides, I believe that Rizal wouldn’t sign such thing
since he was known to be a moral and honest man.”

-Meredith Villanueva

I don’t believe Rizal would sign such retraction. He might be against Catholicism, but these Is
because of the beliefs the Spaniards taught. But he never would abandon his own faith, that
until his death, he carried a rosary.

-Beverly Yzthine dG. Rena

(THIS INTERVIEW WAS OBTAINED FROM THE INTERNET)

REFERENCES