Name: Kirsten Marie Exim Date: March 19, 2012

Schedule: MTH/9:00-10:30

Did Jose Rizal Retract or Not?

There were two instances in Jose Rizal‟ s life that pushed him to consider a

retraction or not. It first came when he decided to marry Josephine Bracken in Dapitan

canonically. This was not granted by Father Obach without the permission of the Bishop

of Cebu who wants Rizal to write a retraction paper in exchange for marriage. The

second instance was during the last hours of his life on December 29, 1896. The friars

have always wanted Rizal to retract his words against the Church. Through time, a lot of 

arguments relating to Jose Rizal‟s retraction emerged. Yet, the defenders and offenders

of Rizal‟s retraction can‟t settle on a final decision.  

I am personally on the side of the offenders. I am convinced that Jose Rizal did

not retract based on the arguments I am about to present. I have weighed both of the

side of the Anti-Catholic and the Catholic Rizalists and is settled that the Anti-Catholic

Rizalists have plausible arguments.

First, let us examine one of the strong evidences the defenders of retraction

have in hand, the Retraction Document itself. It was said to be prepared by Father Pio Pi

and Rizal just made some revisions in it. After the death of Jose Rizal, the debate of his

retraction called for a scientific investigation of the document. According to Dr. Ricardo

R. Pascual, the slant of the letters in the standard writings are higher compared to the

points yielded by the Retraction document, there are significant variations the way

individual letters are formed, and the signature of Rizal found in the Retraction

document has indications of “stops” which, says the critic, are most naturally explained

by the fact that a forger might stop at certain points to determine what form to make

next. Also, the line “I wish to „live‟  and die” is strange at a time where Rizal has only less

than twelve hours to live.

 Another argument considered in the mainstream of the retraction debate is

Rizal‟s burial. If claims were true that Jose Rizal retracted, then why the church did deny

 

a formal burial for Jose Rizal? And why were there no attempt of salvage from the

execution?

Moreover, Jose Rizal‟s actions before his death are not strong proofs of 

conversion. He left letters for his loved ones, but he has never mentioned any retraction

in those papers. Also, for a man faced with death, hearing mass and confessions are

normal. Rizal after all, is a faithful servant of God, but has never been a slave of the

Church. He also did not mention any retraction in his farewell poem, Mi Ultimo Adios.

Lastly, Rizal is neither against nor with the Church. He did not say anything

against the creed of the Roman Catholic. He despises only the friars, people hiding

under the comforting roof of the Church. Thus, Rizal did not convert his self from a

believer to an unbeliever. He only had his ideas changed but not his faith. He had made

a meaningful and consistent thought about religion but his faith remains unharmed.

 An act of retraction is not something a man such as Jose Rizal can do. He is

mature, wiser than a common thirty five year-old man, and is consistent with his

thoughts especially with his principles in religion.

Whether Jose Rizal retracted, which I believe is not true, he still remains an

ingenious writer, a man who sees the world in a different perspective and is willing to

die for his belief and aspirations. It may not be his objective to die for the Filipinos, but

he died proving that an Indio can be as knowledgeable as him, as brave, as charismatic

or more even.