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Did Rizal Retracted or Not

The document discusses the controversy surrounding whether Jose Rizal retracted his anti-Catholic views before his execution. It presents arguments from both the Catholic Church, which claims Rizal signed a retraction document, and Masonic Rizalists, who argue the document is a forgery due to discrepancies and lack of original evidence. Ultimately, the authenticity of the retraction remains unresolved, with the author leaning towards the belief that Rizal did not retract his views, as evidenced by his writings.

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Marcelo, Nicole A.
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14 views2 pages

Did Rizal Retracted or Not

The document discusses the controversy surrounding whether Jose Rizal retracted his anti-Catholic views before his execution. It presents arguments from both the Catholic Church, which claims Rizal signed a retraction document, and Masonic Rizalists, who argue the document is a forgery due to discrepancies and lack of original evidence. Ultimately, the authenticity of the retraction remains unresolved, with the author leaning towards the belief that Rizal did not retract his views, as evidenced by his writings.

Uploaded by

Marcelo, Nicole A.
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
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"If Rizal retracted, he would not be executed, but he was executed therefore, he did

not retracted." This particular line was my takeaway from the report of group 5
about the controversy "Did Jose Rizal retract his anti-Catholic views before his
execution on December 30, 1896, or not?"

One of the significant issues in studying Rizal's life, works, and writings is the
historicity and veracity of his alleged actions moments before his execution,
particularly regarding his supposed reconciliation with the Catholic Church, known
as "The Retraction.

According to the report, a retraction is a formal act of withdrawing, denying, or


disavowing a previously stated belief, statement, or position. Group 5 presented
arguments for both the Catholic Church's claim and the view held by Masonic
Rizalists.

Based on the report, for the Catholic claim, a document dated December 29, 1896,
allegedly signed by Rizal, was discovered by Fr. Manuel García in 1935. In this
document, Rizal supposedly declared his return to the Catholic faith and renounced
Masonry. An excerpt from the document states, "I retract with all my heart whatever
in my words, writings, publications, and conduct have been contrary to my
character as a son of the Catholic Church. I believe and profess what it teaches, and
I abominate Masonry, as the Church condemns it." However, the document that
was "discovered" by Fr. Manuel García, C.M., in 1935 was already found after 39
years after Rizal's execution, that's why critics argue that this delay in finding such
a critical piece of evidence raises suspicions of fabrication. Additionally, scholars like
Ricardo Pascual point to handwriting discrepancies between the retraction
document and Rizal's authentic handwriting as evidence of forgery. Differences in
signature style and writing structure have further fueled these claims. Moreover, the
original copy of the retraction document has not been consistently made available;
only copies and reproductions have been shown, casting doubt on the authenticity
of the original.

Apart from the retraction document, the reporters also mentioned that Fr. Balaguer
claimed that Rizal married Josephine Bracken after the retraction, but no marriage
certificate has been found, casting doubt on his testimony.

While proponents argue the retraction document is genuine based on Church


testimonies and its discovery, the counterclaims that it is a forgery rest on
questions of motive, evidence, and Rizal’s character. Up until now, the authenticity
of the document remains unresolved, and the controversy persists as a significant
historical debate in Philippine history. But in my perspective, based on the report, I
think the heavier side is that Rizal did not retracted as there are no proven
evidences and we all know that Rizal is a man of words and we can see his strong
beliefs with his works such as noli me tangere and el filibusterismo, so I believe that
he did not retracted that's why he was executed.

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