Group 1

Retraction of Rizal
What is Retraction?

 Retraction is defined as formally taking back

something which was said or done. When a
newspaper prints something incorrect and later
takes back what they said and publishes an article
saying they were wrong, this is an example of a
retraction
 According to a testimony by Father Vicente Balaguer, a
Jesuit missionary who befriended the hero during his
exile in Dapitan, Rizal accepted a shorter retraction
document prepared by the superior of the Jesuit Society
in the Philippines, Father Pio Pi.
 We believe that Jose Rizal abjured masonry and
retracted his statements against the Catholic church.
The document presented is a strong evidence that Rizal
had truly withdrawn in masonry and retracted.
 First the letter of Rizal to his mother received on
January 5, 1893. The letter says that Rizal have been
going to church every Sunday in Dapitan. Doesn’t show
that Rizal had truly returned to the church?
 Next, the testimony of the eyewitness. Father Balaguer
who was with Rizal and presented the retraction format
prepared by Father Pio Pi, the superior of Jesuit society
in the Philippines, before the execution. He stated that
on December 29, 1896, day before the execution, Rizal
have accepted and signed the document. On May 13,
1935, Fr. Manuel A. Garcia found a document of Rizal’s
retraction.Isn’t the account of eye witness not enough
to proof of retraction?
 ilang oras bago siya barilin, pinirmahan daw ni Rizal ang isang
dokumento na nagsasabing siya raw ay isang Katoliko at
binabawi niya lahat ng kanyang mga sinulat laban sa simbahan.
Nakilala ang dokumento bilang ang retraktasyon, “The
Retraction.” Dahil sa kanyang pagbabalik-loob sa simbahan,
ikinasal sila ni Josephine Bracken, ang kanyang huling pag-ibig.
 binanggit ng guwardiya na bago dalhin sa Luneta si Rizal,
ikinasal siya kay Josephine Bracken:
 “At 5 this morning of the 30th, the lover of Rizal arrived at the
prison …dressed in mourning. Only the former entered the
chapel, followed by a military chaplain whose name I cannot
ascertain. Donning his formal clothes and aided by a soldier
of the artillery, the nuptials of Rizal and the woman who had
been his lover were performed at the point of death (in
articulo mortis). After embracing him she left, flooded with
tears.”
 The sworn statement of the eyewitnesses, like Fr.
Balaguer, agreed that there was a retraction and
marriage between the two. After this marriage, Rizal
dedicated a Catholic devotional book to his two sisters,
Josefa and Trinidad, as well as his wife, Josephine,
which he mentioned “To my dear and unhappy wife,
Josephine” Aren’t these books proof of Catholicism?
 We all know that Rizal is our national hero and one of
those who fought for our country using his mind.
Retraction is not bad at all, in fact, when Rizal did the
Retraction, the people in the Philippines known and
value him more. • Even rizal retracted or not it cannot
change the fact of what he has already done and what
his writings have already achieve.
The End.
Thank you!!