Scribd
Upload
440 views2 pages

RPH (The Retraction of Rizal) - Midterms

The document discusses the controversy around Jose Rizal's alleged retraction of his writings against the Catholic Church. There are two sides to the debate - those who believe Rizal retracted based on eyewitness accounts and a discovered document, and those who assert the retraction was fabricated. The author acknowledges not knowing who to believe, but notes Rizal's writings about the Spanish Church in the Philippines were truthful and there was nothing for him to retract. While Rizal died participating in Catholic rituals, the author believes he did not need to retract as he remained a believer in God according to his life in Dapitan, and that whether he retracted or not does not change his legacy of serving the Philippines.

Uploaded by

Jemica Eden T. Palmero
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
440 views2 pages

RPH (The Retraction of Rizal) - Midterms

The document discusses the controversy around Jose Rizal's alleged retraction of his writings against the Catholic Church. There are two sides to the debate - those who believe Rizal retracted based on eyewitness accounts and a discovered document, and those who assert the retraction was fabricated. The author acknowledges not knowing who to believe, but notes Rizal's writings about the Spanish Church in the Philippines were truthful and there was nothing for him to retract. While Rizal died participating in Catholic rituals, the author believes he did not need to retract as he remained a believer in God according to his life in Dapitan, and that whether he retracted or not does not change his legacy of serving the Philippines.

Uploaded by

Jemica Eden T. Palmero
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Readings in Philippine History

Retraction of Jose Rizal

To retract is to withdraw a statement or accusation that is untrue or unjustified. Dr. Jose Rizal
had immortalized himself in the hearts of Filipinos through his works and sacrifices for freedom and
independence. Yet, his life was not always grand and perfect. Rizal’s greatness is secluded by the many
controversies surrounding his life. The most intriguing of all was the issue of his alleged retraction. It was
all about his conversion to Catholicism, repudiation of any of his writings against Roman Catholicism, the
abomination of Masonry, and everything else that was related to it, such as his marriage to Josephine
Bracken. That issue was claimed to be true by the Roman Catholic defenders but was asserted to be
deceptive by the anti-restrictionists. So the question is, did Jose Rizal retract or not? History books even
presented the last moments and hours of Rizal in his cell in Fort Santiago and until his last breath. If you
follow them thoroughly, Rizal indeed died as a Catholic. On December 30, 1896, at three o’clock in the
morning, hours before his death, he heard mass, confessed his sins, and took Holy Communion. He also
left Josephine a religious book, "Imitation of Christ" by Father Thomas A Kempis, which was
autographed by the latter himself. Before he faced his death, he was blessed by a priest who also
offered him a crucifix to kiss, and Rizal reverently bowed his head and kissed it.

Rizal's Retraction is supported by two major arguments. There were eyewitnesses closely
associated with the events, and the retraction "document" discovered in 1935 was considered
imperative evidence of the retraction itself. According to Vicente Balaguer's testimony, Rizal had several
rude awakenings, celebrated mass, received Communion, and prayed the Rosary four times. Mariano
Martinez Gallegos, a former infantry lieutenant, He confirmed that Rizal, along with key eyewitnesses
Juan Del Fresno and Eloy Moure, signed a document known as a "retraction." Both named eyewitnesses
corroborated Gallegos' claims.

As for myself, if I am asked what I do not believe, I must say, I do not know what to believe and
whom to believe. I just thought that, whether Rizal retracted or not, I know the fact that what he wrote
about the Spanish Church in the Philippines at that time was the truth, and there’s nothing to be
retracted about. From the presented resources in our eLMS, I like that idea of him dying as a Catholic,
which at some point I think he does not have to retract since he never stops being a believer in God and
he was still practicing Catholicism in his own ways, and the documented life of him in Dapitan was a
witness to that, that despite the many attempts of the Jesuit priest to make him retract and him being
consistent in his rejection, he himself still continued to hear mass in the Catholic church in Dapitan and
celebrate Christmas and other religious fiestas in the Catholic way. At some point, I thought, "If he really
did retract, then I can say that it’s his choice and he probably had his reasons, but it also does not
change the fact that he died serving and honoring his beloved country. My perception of him will not
also change."

You might also like