Summary of the Retraction of Rizal

After being identified as a key figure in the Philippine Revolution, Dr. Jose Rizal was detained, brought
before a Spanish court martial, and found guilty and given the death penalty. After spending several
hours being persuaded by the Jesuit priests, Rizal purportedly recanted his masonic beliefs on December
30, 1896 and switched his works back to Catholicism. Rizal wrote a paper known as "The Retraction" a
few hours before he was killed, declaring his Catholic faith and retracting all of his works critical of the
church. Furthermore, Father Manuel Garcia found Rizal's letter of retractions in the Manila archive of
the Catholic hierarchy in 1935. The letter dated December 29, 1896.

Balaguer claims that on December 29, 1896, he and Vilaclara entered Rizal's cell. In his letter and
affidavit, he made note of the fact that their discussion of some Catholic tenets before their meeting
with Rizal. They engaged in discussion on topics like the theological distinctions between Catholics and
Protestants and the primacy of faith over reason. They informed him that he would have to sign a
retraction letter and confess his beliefs before they could give the sacraments he required. Around
noon, the two Jesuits departed from Rizal's confinement, with Rizal still debating whether or not to sign
the retraction letter.

After their initial contact with Rizal, the Jesuits immediately hurried to the archbishop's palace to inform
their superiors of what had happened. Around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Balaguer and Vilaclara
returned to Rizal and continued their efforts until dusk to convince him to repent. They were still unable
in getting him to acknowledge the retraction in writing. At their third meeting with Rizal, which began at
ten o'clock that evening, they presented him with the two retraction templates that Fr Pi had provided
them. Fr Balaguer claims that Rizal rejected the original template because it was too long and didn't
reflect him personally in terms of language and writing style.

Whether Jose Rizal did retract or not, the scholars feel that the paper reflecting his retractions was more
a result of Rizal having the moral bravery to own up to his errors. Even if it is true that he repented and
returned to his faith, Rizal's status as a great hero with such brilliance is unaffected. If Rizal retracts or
not, it won't change what he has already done or what his works have already accomplished, as
mentioned in the documentary "Ang Bayaning Third World" by Joel Torre as Rizal. Furthermore,
according to former senator Jose Diokno, it makes no difference whether Rizal died a Catholic or an
apostate whether he was a great Filipino or not. Whether a Mason or a Catholic, Rizal is still known as
the hero who sought death "To show those who doubt our patriotism that we know how to die for our
duty and our beliefs."