Name: Jomar C.

Kiay
Section: EDM1
Subject: Hist10 in Midterm
Activity 1: Identifying the Arguments
Identify the arguments and the evidence of those who are claiming that Rizal retracted
against those who are saying otherwise.
Rizal Retracted
Claimant Argument 1 Evidences/Proofs
Bernardo Nozaleda Rizal abjured masonry and A. Rizal wrote down his
retracted his statements against retraction, confessed, heard
the catholic church. mass in the morning and
received communion and then
married to Josephine Bracken.

B.The retraction run counter to

Rizal's character. Rizal would
not easily succumb to pressures.
Rizal's hectic schedule made
him impossible to attend to
some religious activities. This
faction branded the retraction
document presented by the
Catholic Church as forgery.

C. The documents presented to

the public is a strong evidence
that Rizal had truly withdrawn
in masonry and retracted.

Your Observation

Rizal Retracted
Claimant Argument 2 Evidences/Proofs
Guerro(1998:421) Rizal died as a Catholic. A. Rizal's cadaver was buried
secretly – the insurgents might
unearth his body, revere it as a
nationalist relic or to propagate
a myth about this survival
orresurrection.
History 10 (Life and Works of Jose Rizal) Instructional Manual of Renato C. Valdez
 B.Due to the prohibition of the
Penal Code which forbade the
public interment for a
condemned man – there was no
public/open requiem masses
held for the soul of Jose
P.Rizal.

C.In the eyes of Spanish

authorities, Rizal was an
executed felon, hence the entry
of his death was written on a
special page among the
unrepentant individuals.
Your Observation

Rizal Retracted
Claimant Argument 3
Garcia(1960:9-15) No Retraction, No Marriage, In
other words, Rizal could not
marry Josephine unless he
retracted first.
Evidences/Proofs
A.Rizal wanted to retract at
Dapitan to marry Josephine. If
Rizal had decided to retract at
Dapitan in order to marry
Josephine, give her a name, and
correct the scandal about their
unsanctioned life together out
of respect for the customs of the
people, could he not have done
it a day before his execution?
Would a rationalist, as Rizal
was, miss his last opportunity to
do right by the woman he loved
and the people herespected?

B.Rizal called Josephine "mi

History 10 (Life and Works of Jose Rizal)
amiga extrangera" in the last
stanza of his “Mi Ultimo
Adios"but called her “my dear
and unhappy wife" in
dedicating a very Catholic
book, De La Imitacion de
Cristo, at Fort Santiago early in
the morning of his execution.
"Mi Ultimo Adios" was
Instructional Manual of Renato C. Valdez
 writtena few days before his
execution, and Josephine was
no more than his “amiga
extangera" then. Rizal, being
frank and sincere and truthful,
could not at that time call he his
wife because she was not yet
his wife. But on the morning of
December 30, when he gave her
his copy of De la Imitacion de
Cristo, she was already wedded
and lawful wife and so Rizal
called her that. The book was
Rizal's wedding present
toJosephine.

C.Rizal gave to Josephine a

copy of De la Imitacion de
Cristo and to his sister Trinidad,
a copy of Ancora de Salvacion.
De la Imitacion de Cristo and
Ancora de Salvacion are two
very Catholic books. No Mason
and Freethinker would give
such books to his dearest ones
at theeve
of his execution. But Rizal did
so because he had returned to
his Church and wanted his
dearest ones to know about it,
and wished them to continue
believing in those precepts and
teachings.

D.Rizal was accompanied by

two Catholic priests to the
execution grounds, and he
kissed the crucifix before his
death. No Catholic priest would
accompany a Mason or a
Freethinker to his death,
especially during Rizal's time...
The Church then considered the
Masons, Freethinkers, and
believers in other religions its
enemies. Because of this, it is
not wishful thinking tobelieve

History 10 (Life and Works of Jose Rizal) Instructional Manual of Renato C. Valdez

Your Observation
Claimant
Runes and de la Rosa(1961)
Your Observation
Claimant
Coates(1982:332-348)
History 10 (Life and Works of Jose Rizal)
that Rizal retracted and returned
to the Faith before hisexecution.
Rizal DID NOT Retracted
Argument 1 Evidences/Proofs
Runes and de la Rosa (1961) A.Some words like misma
alleged that the retraction iglesia and Catolica were
copies were full of added.
inconsistencies.
B.The dates differed largely on
the way it was written.
C.They further believed that the
Catholic Church hired the
services of Roman Roque, an
expert forger, to write a
retraction and to forge Rizal's
signature. Roman Roque
admitted that he was hired by
friars early in August 1901 to
make several copies of a
retraction letter.
Rizal DID NOT Retracted
Argument 2 Evidences/Proofs
Coates (1982:332-348) believed A.Coates said that there was no
that Fr. Vicente Balaguer signed retraction letter of Rizal.
perpetrated the retraction fraud. He added “it was difficult for
the Rizal's to accept either the
retraction or the marriage. They
knew that if Rizal had retracted,
he would tell them in his 6 a.m.
communication to his mother”.
B.Coates also added that the
Ultimo Adios might be intended
Instructional Manual of Renato C. Valdez
 by Rizal to refute any attempt to
give a fraudulent eye- witness
account of his last hours.

C.Fr. Balaguer claimed that

between 6 and 6:15 am on
December 30, 1896, he
performed a very short
canonical marriage of Jose
Rizal and Josephine Bracken in
the presence of one of Rizal‟s
sister. In reality, none of
Rizal‟s sister was present and
that by 6:00 a.m. Josephine was
probably in her lodgings for by
7:00 am she was one of the
witnesses of Jose Rizal
execution. Josephine was not
seen in the fort, minutes before
the execution”.

Your Observation

Rizal DID NOT Retracted

Claimant Argument 3 Evidences/Proofs
Palma Palma asserted that Jose Rizal A.The document was kept
was not fully reconciled with secret and only copies were the
the Catholic Church, which one given toinvestigations.
contradicted to the very essence
of alleged retraction. B.The petition of Rizal's family
for the original document of the
retraction and of thecertificate
of canonical marriage between
Rizal and Bracken were
bothdenied.

C.Jose Rizal's burial place was

kept secret, and the body was
delivered to the Brothers
ofPeace and Charity even with
the declared intention of his
family to bury the body.

History 10 (Life and Works of Jose Rizal) Instructional Manual of Renato C. Valdez
 D.Rizal's burial mounds in Paco
cemetery (a cemetery for those
who died of cholera) bore no
cross or any marks to indicate a
grave. Paco cemetery was an
unconsecrated cemetery,
ageneral (public) cemetery.
Catholics were usually buried in
Catholiccemetery.

D.No mass held for Rizal'ssoul.

E.Rizal's internment was

written on a special page along
with those who died by
suicide,burnt to death and those
who could not be identified.
Hence, Rizal did not receive
any spiritual aid from
theChurch.

F.There was no moral motive

for the conversion of Rizal.
Your Observation

History 10 (Life and Works of Jose Rizal) Instructional Manual of Renato C. Valdez