RZL10/B19 Grace J.

Santos June 15, 2011 Assignment

Did Rizal retract? Defend your answer by citing some proofs/evidences/testimonies. As what the book had revealed, Rizal didn t retract his anti-catholic ideas at first. But at his last moments, it appeared that Rizal had returned to Catholic faith and retracted. In Dapitan when Fr. Pastells told Fr. Obach that Rizal had retracted from his opposition to religion for him to stay at the parish convent, Rizal disliked the idea and he even argued with the friar about his true opinion on the concern. According to Rizal, our judgment (pertaining to the human thinking and the friar s) can just mislead us; but religion, though they may vary, they all lead to the light. Although Rizal was anti-catholic in ideals, he continued to practice Catholicism by attending mass, and faith only to God. But a document was procured at the day before his execution, which states his withdrawal with antiCatholicism views. This is the content of the document which was given by Father Balaguer:

I declare myself a catholic and in this Religion in which I was born and educated I wish to live and die. I retract with all my heart whatever in my words, writings, publications and conduct has been contrary to my character as son of the Catholic Church. I believe and I confess whatever she teaches and I submit to whatever she demands. I abominate Masonry, as the enemy which is of the Church, and as a Society prohibited by the Church. The Diocesan Prelate may, as the Superior Ecclesiastical Authority, make public this spontaneous manifestation of mine in order to repair the scandal which my acts may have caused and so that God and people may pardon me. Manila 29 of December of 1896 Jose Rizal
Still, it was unproven if the document was genuine, or was just made by the friars and copied his signature unto it. Though even without this document he practices the religion by keeping busts of saints, praying and revering the sign of the cross. Yes, he may had sparked the vision of Filipinos to revolution and that he never denied this accusation, but the issue of him being an anti-Catholic or not is not really relevant. Nothing will be changed, for in the end it boils down to the idea that Rizal is our greatest Filipino hero, no matter what his ideals are for religion. He has been directed by good faith, and his writings had led us to the truth and light that revealed the darkest corners of the Spanish tyranny.