Midterm-Retraction of Rizal

Retraction of Rizal
1. DID RIZAL RETRACT?
Jose Rizal is identified as a hero of the revolution for his writings that center on ending colonialism and liberating
Filipino minds to contribute to creating the Filipino nation. The great volume of Rizal's lifework was committed to this
end, particularly the more influential ones, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. His essays vilify not the Catholic
religion, but the friars, the main agents of injustice in the Philippine society.
It is understandable, therefore, that any piece of writing from Rizal that recants everything he wrote against the friars
and the Catholic Church in the Philippines could deal heavy damage to his image as a prominent Filipino revolutionary.
Such document purportedly exists, allegedly signed by Rizal a few hours before his execution. This document, referred
to as "The Retraction," declares Rizal's belief in the Catholic faith, and retracts everything he wrote against the Church.
2. Rizal's Retraction (Translated from the document found by Fr. Manuel Garcia, C.M. on 18 May 1935)
"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 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."
There are four iterations of the texts of this retraction: the first was published in La Voz Española and Diario de
Manila on the day of the execution, 30 December 1896. The second text appeared in Barcelona, Spain, in the magazine
La Juventud, a few months after the execution, 14 February 1897, from an anonymous writer who was later on revealed
to be Fr. Vicente Balaguer. However, the "original” text was only found in the archdiocesan archives on 18 May 1935,
after almost four decades of disappearance.
The Balaguer Testimony. Doubts on the retraction document abound, especially because only one eyewitness account
of the writing of the document exists—that of the Jesuit friar Fr. Vicente Balaguer. According to his testimony, Rizal
woke up several times, confessed four times, attended a Mass, received communion, and prayed the rosary, all of which
seemed out of character. But since it is the only testimony of allegedly a "primary" account that Rizal ever wrote a
retraction document, it has been used to argue the authenticity of the document.
The Testimony of Cuerpo de Vigilancia. Another eyewitness account surfaced in 2016, through the research of Professor
Rene R. Escalante. In his research, documents of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia included a report on the last hours of Rizal,
written by Federico Moreno.
3. Eyewitness Account of the Last Hours of Rizal
Most Illustrious Sir, the agent of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia stationed in Fort Santiago to report on the events during the
(illegible) day in prison of the accused Jose Rizal, informs me on this date of the following:
At 7:50 yesterday morning, Jose Rizal entered death row accompanied by his counsel, Señor Taviel de Andrade, and the
Jesuit priest Vilaclara. At the urgings of the former and moments after entering, he was served a light breakfast. At
approximately 9, the Assistant of the Plaza, Señor Maure, asked Rizal if he wanted anything. He replied that at the
moment he only wanted a prayer book, which was brought to him shortly by Father March.
Señor Andrade left death row at 10 and Rizal spoke for a long while with the Jesuit fathers, March and Vilaclara,
regarding religious matters, it seems. It appears that these two presented him with a prepared retraction on his life and
deeds that he refused to sign. They argued about the matter until 12:30 when Rizal ate some poached egg and a little
chicken. Afterwards he asked to leave to write and wrote for a long time by himself.
At 3 in the afternoon, Father March entered the chapel and Rizal handed him what he had written. Immediately the
chief of the firing squad, Señor del Fresno and the Assistant of the Plaza, Señor Maure, were informed. They entered
death row and together with Rizal signed the document that the accused had written.
At 5 this morning of the 30th, the lover of Rizal arrived at the prison. dressed in mourning. Only the former entered the
chapel, followed by a military chaplain whose name I cannot ascertain. Donning his formal clothes and aided by a
soldier of the artillery, the nuptials of Rizal and the woman who had been his lover were performed at the point of
death (in articulo mortis). After embracing him she left, flooded with tears.
This account corroborates the existence of the retraction document, giving it credence. However, nowhere in the
account was Fr. Balaguer mentioned, which makes the friar a mere secondary source to the writing of the document.
The retraction of Rizal remains to this day, a controversy; many scholars, however, agree that the document does not
tarnish the heroism of Rizal. His relevance remained solidified to Filipinos and pushed them to continue the revolution,
which eventually resulted in independence in 1898.

Midterm-Retraction of Rizal

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Retraction of Rizal

1. DID RIZAL RETRACT?

3. Eyewitness Account of the Last Hours of Rizal

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