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Government Whip

The document discusses the debate around Jose Rizal's alleged retraction letter retracting his criticisms of the Catholic Church. It presents two main arguments: 1) That the retraction letter was legitimate and Rizal wrote and signed it in order to allow his marriage to Josephine Bracken. 2) That Rizal needed to sign the retraction letter to marry Josephine. However, it acknowledges that the authenticity of the retraction letter has been a source of much controversy. The government side believes the document's falsification is ambiguous and it was likely fabricated by Spanish friars to discredit Rizal's achievements.

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292 views2 pages

Government Whip

The document discusses the debate around Jose Rizal's alleged retraction letter retracting his criticisms of the Catholic Church. It presents two main arguments: 1) That the retraction letter was legitimate and Rizal wrote and signed it in order to allow his marriage to Josephine Bracken. 2) That Rizal needed to sign the retraction letter to marry Josephine. However, it acknowledges that the authenticity of the retraction letter has been a source of much controversy. The government side believes the document's falsification is ambiguous and it was likely fabricated by Spanish friars to discredit Rizal's achievements.

Uploaded by

Ahn
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Government Whip:

In our final continuation of the pursuit of our case, I will now be giving a brief summary
of all our arguments that proves our stand to be irrefutable.

The refraction of Jose Rizal has been one of the most controversial debates. The mere
existence of a single letter stating that Rizal had retracted everything he said to the
Catholic Church can determine the weight of his words and writings during the Spanish
colonization.

We have clarified the existence of the retraction letter as well as the authenticity of the
said papers. We have also shown that handwriting was checked by a professional
professor of anthropology. And it was deemed to be authentic.

Rizal also requested to be visited by his numerous colleagues who were retraction-
minded individuals knowing that they would pursue him to retract even further.

And let us not forget that the church handled most of the burials of the past, if Rizal did
not retract why did he get a proper burial as opposed to just having his corpse buried
without proper marking.

Rizal had plans on marrying his wife Josephine Bracken but in order to do that it was
made clear to him that he needed to sign the retraction, or the church would not indulge
in his request.

1st Argument: The legitimacy of Rizal writing and signing the retraction paper.

- Rizal’s family would have been prosecuted if not for the retraction paper.
- His works had delivered their purpose and so the weight of the texts that he had
written greatly outweighs the retraction letter.
- To assure the reform of the Spanish Government.

2nd Argument: Rizal was married to his wife Josephine Bracken

- He would not be able to marry his wife if he did not sign the retraction letter.
- The retraction letter was found with the marriage files of Rizal and Josephine
Bracken.

Possible Rebuttal Keys.


The falsification of the retraction letter could have been the numerous versions of the
first retraction letter given to Rizal for signing but rejected due to their choice of words.
Rizal’s reason for signing a retraction letter, The Noli me Tangere and the El
Felibusterismo had already done their purpose and the flames of the uprising had been
ignited. Furthermore, the weight of the previous written books greatly outweighs that of
the retraction letter.

Key Citations.
Frs. Balaguer and Vilaclara returned to Rizal around 3 o’clock in the afternoon and tried
until sunset to persuade him to recant. They were still not able to convince him to sign
the retraction document. Their third meeting with Rizal took place at 10 o’clock that
night, and it was during this meeting that they showed Rizal the two retraction templates
Fr. Pi had given them. According to Fr. Balaguer, Rizal found the first template
unacceptable because it was too long and its language and style were not reflective of
his personality (Arcilla 1994, 114)

From 3 to 5:30 in the afternoon, Rizal read his prayer book several times, prayed
kneeling before the altar and in the company of Fathers Vilaclara and March, read the
Acts of Faith, Hope and Charity repeatedly as well as the Prayers for the Departing Soul

“We, the government side, think that the document's falsification is ambiguous. All are
part of the Spanish friars' fiction to discredit Jose Rizal's achievements as our national
hero. Since the discovery of Rizal's retraction letter in 1935, its substance has been a
source of debate among academics and Catholics. The reader's judgment is all that
matters in determining if the National Hero genuinely penned a retraction paper. The
evidence speaks for itself, and the discussion then shifts to Rizal's character, with some
claiming that the retraction contradicts Rizal's mature ideas and nature. During his
period, he published a number of things that were critical of Catholics. Religious figures
disliked what he said and considered the retraction as a method of claiming victory
against Rizal because he eventually opted to seek forgiveness from the Catholic
Church. Rizal's image as a national hero who contributed greatly to Philippine
independence will not be harmed, whether he retracts or not.”

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