Krysta Gale A.

Bayoneta
Section 12:

Retraction of Rizal: A Truth or a Fallacy?

Dr. Jose Rizal made it to history because of his contributions, has also been in all the
student’s history books that discuss his ideologies, and how he became a big impact on the
freedom that Filipinos have been experiencing up to this day. He was ‘unique’ for some because
he fought for the country, not only in a silent way but also in a powerful way, by using his
wisdom and knowledge to write his novels that opened the eyes and minds of the Filipino
people. With this, authenticity, and his drive for the betterment of the country were his strong
points as to why he became the national hero of the Philippines. However, this has been
questioned because of one of his controversial issues circulating in the past and still being argued
by historians and Filipinos themselves: his retraction. The word itself defines the withdrawal of a
statement, or taking back an offer and admitting that it was false (Merriam-Webster Dictionary,
n.d.). Hence, his use of pen and paper made the Filipinos regain freedom and unity, but what if
he wrote his retraction and tried to side with the enemy? If you were to be asked, did Rizal die as
a Catholic and dissociated himself from the masonry?

First, I, for one, understand that there may exist different opinions about this topic.
Therefore, let me provide occurrences of why Rizal did not retract. It’s also important to discuss
the possible reasons for the unfinished debate regarding his retraction. Alleged reasons include
saving his family from persecution, marrying Josephine Bracken, and securing reforms with the
Spaniards. Fr. Pi instructed them to persuade Rizal to retract his anti-Catholic teachings as
well as his affiliation with the Masons. The Jesuits were supposed to demand these two
things before ministering the necessary sacraments. Fr. Pi also ordered that the retraction
should be in writing using either of the two sample retraction templates approved by the
archbishop.