Report outline

Austin Coates ‘s Critical Analysis

His first study on Rizal was in Hong Kong( 1891- 1892). His history and travel books included Rizal,
Philippine Nationalist and Martyr, City of Broken Promises, and A Macao Narrative. 

In Philippine Nationalist and Martyr he analyses Rizal’s Retraction and other events.

The Analysis:

After the execution the newspapers recorded the event and announce that Rizal had retracted his
religious errors , adjured freemasonry, and had married Josephine Bracken. In most newspapers the text
of a letter of retraction supposedly written by Rizal was printed on full.

Rizal’s family and circle of personal friends, took one look at the announcement and dubbed it.. an
ecclesiastical fraud. While unquestionably a fraud, to suggest that the Archbishop’s announcement was
issued knowingly, or there was a plot among the higher ecclesiastical authorities to perpetrate a fraud is
going too far. The nature of society within the church, they don’t plan to work as an organization, they
are usually work of a small man with his own idea and the church if unwittingly it accepts the fraud as
genuine, has to protect him. Rizal believed that there was a strong likelihood of fraud, and that the
prime mover in this would be the friar archbishop. There is no evidence to implicate Nozaleda.

Balaguer had the intelligence to perceive that everything dependent on speed and audacity with which
he declared his success. The Archbishop waiting for retraction and announce it immediately, and it will
be too late or Balaguer’s Colleagues to dent it. Certainly there was no signed letter of retraction . Rizal
believed before God he had nothing to retract. Archbishop’s statement provoked had there been a
signed retraction letter , it would have been produced for inspection. Balaguer’s claims was apparent to
the Jesuits, but it was too late to rectify.

None of the Jesuits nor Pio Pi y Vidal believed that Rizal had retracted and died confessed. Vilaclara and
March, satisfied cause Rizal would not be given Christian burial if he didn’t retract. Rizal’s family found it
difficult to accept the retraction or the marriage . Difficulties began as disbelief spread, and it was
deepened by Balaguer’s urge to se himself publicly praised. Balaguer also damage the Church’s case, he
also unwittingly revealed his own fraud without mentioning Ultimo Adios. He concluded that no poem
had been written, no mention of his account, thereby revealing the truth. Prove that he was not within
the Fort Santiago that night, and had no knowledge of what is taking place. Not only did he not mention
the poem, he also make his account so elaborate that Rizal is allowed no time to write and glance at
Ultimo Adios is needed to show that it taken several hours to write