Rizal's Retraction Letter

Rizal Retracted his Writings Against the Church
1st point – There was a retraction letter that validates that Rizal did
retracted his previous statements against the church. Its authenticity was
affirmed by prominent Philippine historians such as Nick Joaquin, Nicolas
Zafra of UP,León María Guerrero III, Gregorio Zaide, Guillermo Gómez
Rivera, Ambeth Ocampo, John Schumacher, Antonio Molina, Paul Dumol
and Austin Craig. They take the retraction document as authentic, having
been judged as such by a foremost expert on the writings of Rizal, Teodoro
Kalaw (a 33rd degree Mason) and "handwriting experts...known and
recognized in our courts of justice", H. Otley Beyer and Dr. José I. Del
Rosario, both of UP.
2nd point - Historians also refer to 11 eyewitnesses when Rizal wrote his
retraction, signed a Catholic prayer book, and recited Catholic prayers, and
the multitude who saw him kiss the crucifix before his execution. A great
grandnephew of Rizal, Fr. Marciano Guzman, cites that Rizal's 4
confessions were certified by:
-5 eyewitnesses (Juan del Presno-Chief of the Civil Guard, Eloy Moure-
Adjuvant of the plaza)
-10 qualified witnesses (three Jesuit priests, four lieutenants of the army,
three soldiers of the artillery corps, and a colonel of the Manila Garrison
who acted as Judge Advocate in Rizal’s trial.)
-7 newspapers (La Voz Española and Diaro de Manila on the very day of
Rizal’s execution, Dec. 30, 1896; in Barcelona, Spain, on February 14,
1897, in the fortnightly magazine in La Juventud)
-12 historians and writers including Aglipayan bishops, Masons and anti-
clericals. (Marciano Guzman (1988). The Hard Facts About Rizal's
Conversion. Sinagtala Publishers.)
One witness was the head of the Spanish Supreme Court at the time of his
notarized declaration and was highly esteemed by Rizal for his integrity.
3rd point - Supporters see in the retraction Rizal's "moral courage...to
recognize his mistakes, his reversion to the "true faith", and thus his
"unfading glory," and a return to the "ideals of his fathers" which "did not
diminish his stature as a great patriot; on the contrary, it increased that
stature to greatness."
4th point - Dr. Augusto De Viana, head of UST’s Department of History ,
also believes that Rizal retracted and said the National Hero just renounced
from the Free Masonry and not from his famous nationalistic works. “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,”
said De Viana, who compared the martyr with Apolinario Mabini, a
revolutionary and free mason who was buried in a Chinese cemetery.
5th point - Noted historian Fr. Jose Arcilla’s monumental multi-volume
Jesuit Missionary Letters from Mindanao contains several letters of the
Jesuit Antonio Obach to his Mission Superior, which may shed light on this
matter. Obach wrote on July 28, 1895: “Rizal has just seen me and said
(what has been jumping from mouth to mouth of some who heard it from
him), ‘Father Antonio, I no longer want further battles with the friars, but live
and work in peace.’
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
 The hero eagerly awaited the arrival of the retraction document. It

came at 10:00 p.m. Fr. Balaguer sat down with Rizal at the writing
table and read to him the long formula prepared by the Archbishop.
After hearing the first paragraphs, Rizal did not want to sign it.
 He told Fr. Balaguer: “Father, do not proceed. That style is different

from mine. I will not sign that, because it should be understood that I
am writing it myself.”
 Fr. Balaguer then produced the brief formula written by Fr. Pio Pi, SJ,
Superior of the Jesuits in the Philippines, which the Archbishop had
earlier deemed adequate. After listening to the first paragraph, Rizal
signified his acceptance of it, since its style was simple, like his own
writing style. While Fr. Balaguer read out the formula, Rizal
proceeded to write it in his own handwriting, making at times some
observation or adding some phrase. Thus we have a clear,
undeniable proof of Rizal’s conversion.
 “ If Rizal retracted he would not have been executed. But he was

executed, therefore he retracted”
*** Rizal knew that his crusade might end in death, but revealed that
he was unsure of his reaction: “…no one knows how one should
behave at that supreme instant, and perhaps I myself who preach
and brag so much might manifest more fear and less energy than (Fr.
Jose) Burgos at that critical moment.”
Arguments on the retraction revolve around the veracity of the

confession Rizal purportedly signed prior to his execution and
testimonies of several witnesses who had seen the act carried out.
Aside from his previous work would not be invalidated since it has
awaken our sense of nationalism
 *** Rizal did retract his statements against the church for he knows
that his previous works would not be invalidated since people at that
time already saw what was happening with the society that they live
in. He also knows the Archbishop and Jesuits cannot do anything to
mitigate his penalty because the judicial process involved was purely
a military tribunal where civilian or church interference was
uncommon and not allowed. Rizal was accused of participating in
filibusterous propaganda where the penalty as provided by the
Spanish Code is death. So he knows that no matter what happens he
would still get killed. What we’re trying to prove here is that he
retracted his previous statements against the church since his days
are already numbered and he wants to live a peaceful and quiet life.
Therefore it was Rizal’s will to retract.
 One person and nobody saw the original.

*** Regarding the "original" text, no one claimed to have seen it,
except the publishers of La Voz Espanola. That newspaper reported:
"Still more; we have seen and read his (Rizal’s) own hand-written
retraction which he sent to our dear and venerable Archbishop…"
 Rizal’s burial was kept secret.

- The same of what happened to the three priests who were garroted
years earlier, even though they were still a part of the church; they
were still treated as rebellious and were also not given a proper
burial. Same with Rizal’s case that even if he retracted, he was not
given a proper burial.
- The spanish colonial government accused Rizal of three crimes:

(a) The founding of La Liga Filipina, an “illegal organization” Whose
single aim was to “Perpetrate the crime of rebellion”.
(b) Rebellion which he promoted through his previous activities.
(c) Illegal association’

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Rizal Retracted his Writings Against the Church

 The hero eagerly awaited the arrival of the retraction document. It

 He told Fr. Balaguer: “Father, do not proceed. That style is different

 “ If Rizal retracted he would not have been executed. But he was

Arguments on the retraction revolve around the veracity of the

 One person and nobody saw the original.

 Rizal’s burial was kept secret.

- The spanish colonial government accused Rizal of three crimes:

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