RETRACTION

OF
RIZAL

•Rizal, a well-known figure who is revered

as a hero by many, presents us with a
number of contentious problems
concerning himself. One of the issues for
which Rizal was charged stands out. It
was his conversion from a Masonic
member to a lover of the Catholic
Church.

•Dr. Jose Rizal was executed at Luneta more than a

century ago. However, there are still problems
that disturb many people, one of which being Dr.
Jose Rizal's reversal on the masonry to reconvert
himself to becoming a Catholic once again. There
was a paper with Rizal's retraction on the
masonry. It was dated December 29, 1896, and
was allegedly signed by Rizal personally.

•The letter addressed that:

“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.”

The retraction of Rizal raised motions and judgment of

different historians, most importantly, the two sides:
The Masonic Rizalists and the Catholic Rizalists.
 Rizal's retraction was never confirmed with
appropriate and legitimate proof, hence it was deemed
fake. It was just Fr. Vicente Balaguer, who has the
identical copy of Rizal's retraction that he got the night
before Rizal's execution. In his exile in Dapitan, the Jesuit
priest met Rizal. As a result, Rizal fell in love with a lady
named Josephine Bracken. In the same year, Rizal's
desire for marriage with Josephine Bracken prompted
him to pen a denunciation of his wicked ideas, which
was accepted by the Bishop of Cebu.
 This is the point that will bolster the argument
for Rizal's refusal to resign from Masonry, that
he cannot give up the principles that he lived by
just to free us from the hands of the Spaniards,
the action that he took to reclaim the sinful beliefs
that he had written on the letter, proves that
Rizal will never resign from Masonry because it
would invalidate all of his hardships.
 On the other side, there are problems in Dr. Rizal's
retraction and alleged wedding to her companion
Josephine Bracken. Rizal's family and co-scholars did
not trust Balaguer's account since they believed Rizal
would have addressed it to them during their
conversation minutes before the execution. It creates
an opposing tale about how he was unaware that Rizal
was penning the third stanza of the poem "Mi Ultimo
Adios" during the time and date he claimed to have
seen Dr. Rizal in Fort Santiago.
With this, the retraction of Rizal will still
remain an allegation with no authentic
basis making his works and ideals in
defiance to the Spaniards as an act of
heroism and patriotism.