A POSITION PAPER ON THE CONTROVERSY OF

RIZAL’S RETRACTION
Dr. Jose P. Rizal bestowed so much effort on his published books and articles attacking the wrong
doings of Spaniards that directly indicates being anti-Catholic and it is hard to believe that he had retracted
his statements against Catholic church. I strongly disagree on the said Rizal’s retraction because according
to bayaningrizal.pairserver.com/jru/the-retraction.html, Fr. Balaguer revealed that the document was forged, he could
not remember anymore whose exact copy was the document and even Fr. Pio could not verify it with his own words.
The copy of the retraction paper with the signature of Rizal was kept secret and when his family asked for a copy, they
said that it was lost, it was also published in the newspapers who said that they have saw and read it. According to the
book of Ricardo Pascual PhD, “Rizal beyond the Grave”, there are three copies of the retraction having different years
and there was also a revelation of a forger named Roman Roque at the party in Nueva Ecija in August 13,1901.
Antonio K. Abad told that the forger tells them how he was employed by the friars earlier that the same year to make
several copies of the retraction document and this is a proof of forgery. According also to Dr. Pascual who studied the
document, there difference in the forms of letters, slants, habits of writings, distinct characteristics in the signature
between the genuine writings on one hand and the retraction on the other, and the closed affinity between the writings
which means these are done by different persons that indicates forgery.

There are two witnesses who stated that Rizal did not retract namely Baron Fernandez and Manuel Morato.
Baron Fernandez is a Spanish orphan who discovered the eyewitnesses account from the repertories or collection of
Spain’s dirty secrets, according to an online source www.scribd.com/document/403945003/Ways-to-Proving-that-
Rizal-Did-Not-Retract-Gingco-docx, he found 34 documents including handwritten letters, telegrams and military
document then these documents is the thick manuscript that Rizal had written before his execution. It is written in the
document that Rizal told his sister Narcissa to look inside his shoes because he had left a letter and according to
Fernandez, that letter could only be a denial of retraction because Rizal knew that friars are misleading Filipinos and
he wanted to set the record straight. Meanwhile, Manuel Morato had an expose or report of the facts about something,
especially a journalistic report that reveals something scandalous. He rightfully bought Fernandez’ document, he said
in his letter and published in the Clerico-Fascist newspaper at that time and he confirmed that Rizal never retracted
although that fake retraction was published by friars.

According to Rizal’s Unfading Glory, the lost “original” document of this retraction was discovered by the
archdiocesan archivist Fr. Manuel Garcia, C.M. and this newly discovered document differs significantly from the text
found in the Jesuits’ and the Archbishops copies. And the text of retraction which revealed in the Manila newspapers
could be shown to be the exact copies of the original but only imitations of it which means the friars who controlled
the press in Manila handed the original copy of it while the Jesuits’ had only the fake one. There was also no
document of marriage between Rizal and Bracken, the retraction supposed to establish the act of marriage between
them because in the Dapitan the condition for them to get married was the retraction.

Based on the evidences I have mentioned above, it is not true that Rizal retract his statements against Spanish
friars. It’s a common knowledge to us that Rizal have a strong stance and it is stated in his diary that he clearly
strengthens his unchanging adherence to his deep ideals and principles knowing that he even sacrificed his life.