RIZAL’S RETRACTION

RIZAL RETRACTED:
Masonry Affiliation
 In Rizal’s retraction document, found by Father Manuel A. Garcia on May 13, 1935, he
stated that he is taking back the statements he made in opposition to the Catholic Church
and renounced his affiliation with the Masonry.
 Father Vicente Balaguer, a Jesuit Priest and a primary eyewitness of the event, narrated
how Rizal much preferred to be visited by the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, priests who
were known for being interested in getting Rizal to retract.
 Upon Balaguer’s convincing, Rizal asked him for the formula of the retraction, and chose
Father Pi’s formula which he said was as simple as his, and signed it after doing some
modifications.
 According to joserizal.ph, the original copy of the retraction which was almost eaten by
termites, were kept by friars for preservation.
 Rizal’s execution had nothing to do with his retraction since the crime he committed was
separate from the things he retracted.
Signature
 Albert Osborn, the father of science of questioned document in North America, examined
and confirmed that Rizal’s signature was authentic.
 In the book “The Great Debate: Rizal’s Retraction” by Ricardo P. Garcia, handwriting
experts Prof. H Otley Beyer and Dr. Jose I. del Rosario studied, examined and concluded
that Rizal’s retraction document is authentic and genuine.
Marriage with Josephine Bracken
 Rizal’s wedding with Bracken is part of the condition he agreed on before signing the
document.
 He addressed Bracken as his “unhappy wife” in his book “Imitacion de Cristo”.
 Prof. Otley found several documents pertained to Rizal’s marriage with Bracken.
 The autobiography of Josephine Bracken, written on February 22, 1897, which was a
short recollection of her life from her birth up to her marriage with Rizal.

RIZAL DID NOT RETRACT:

Masonry Affiliation
 Unreliability of the actual document of the retraction. There were numerous
reproductions of it and various versions came up. This makes it questionable if there
was even an original and authentic document.
  Various inconsistencies of documents. One document had the date “December 29,
189C. Then another supposedly original version came up, with the date being
“December 29, 1896”.
 Differences between the copy of the retraction published in newspapers and the copy
of Father Balaguer and Father Pio Pi,
 Prior to Rizal’s execution, Father Balaguer and Father Pio Pi were not able to
determine the authenticity of the versions of the retraction that they received that
evening.
 No one was able to see the supposed original version of the retraction except the
publishers of La Voz Espanola, which published its contents on the day of Rizal’s
execution.
 When Rizal’s family asked for the document, it was said to be lost. Rizal’s family
never saw the original document.
 No mass or wake made for him and he was not buried like a catholic. If he really
retracted, he would have gone through a Christian burial.
 Balaguer’s inconsistencies. According to him, Rizal’s family visited on December 30,
while according to the family, they were only allowed to visit of December 29.
 When Trinidad Rizal visited before her brother’s execution, Rizal did not mention
anything about the retraction or his plans to marry Josephine Bracken.
Signature
 Ricardo Pascual's “Rizal beyond the Grave”. In the book, Pascual, who was authorized
by the Archbishop Nozaleda to inspect the actual document, came to the conclusion that
it was a forgery through his examination of the retraction.
 "A document unsigned is not a document" Based on the conducted handwriting
examinations of some experts they found out that the retraction document is genuine and
authentic but the signature of Rizal is not. Therefore the retraction should not be
acknowledge.
Marriage with Josephine Bracken
 There is no marriage certificate that can prove the claim.
 In Mi Ultimo Adios, which was the last poem Rizal created, he did not mention Bracken
as his wife.
 Rizal and Bracken lived together in one roof, this is why she pertained to Bracken as his
wife, when he signed the book “Imitacion de Cristo”.

Sources:
Craig A. (1909). The Story of José Rizal.
De Viana A. V. (2012), A Glimpse into the Life of Josephine Bracken. Retrieved from:
 http://nhcp.gov.ph/a-glimpse-into-the-life-of-josephine-bracken/
Garcia R. P. (1964) The Great Debate: The Rizal Retraction. Quezon City. R.P. Garcia
Publishing Co.
Pascual R. (1950). Rizal Beyond the Grave: A Reiteration of the Greatness of the Martyr of
Bagumbayan. Luzon Publishing Corporation
Rizal's Retraction: Introduction. (n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.joserizal.ph/rt01.html
Rizal’s Last Hours (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.filipinaslibrary.org.ph/articles/rizals last
hours/
Santos T. U. (2011). Rizal’s retraction: Truth vs Myth. Retrieved from:
https://varsitarian.net/news/20111004/rizals_retraction_truth_vs_myth
Uckung P. J. V. (2012). The Rizal Retraction and other cases Retrieved from:
http://nhcp.gov.ph/the-rizal-retraction-and-other-cases/