Serrano, Jaymar T.

BSEE - 1

Dr. Jose Rizal was arrested, appeared under a Spanish court martial, and after being
identified as a significant participant in the Philippine Revolution, he was found guilty
and sentenced to death. On December 30, 1896, Rizal allegedly recanted his masonic
convictions and shifted his works back to Catholicism after spending many hours being
persuaded by the Jesuit priests. Just a few hours before he was slain, Rizal published a
paper that has come to be known as "The Retraction" in which he professed his.
Catholic faith and revoked all of his works that were critical of the church. The letter of
retractions from Rizal was also discovered in 1935 by Father Manuel Garcia in the
Manila archive of the Catholic hierarchy. Dated December 29, 1896, the letter.
According to Balaguer, Rizal's cell was visited by him and Vilaclara on December 29,
1896. He mentioned in the affidavit and letter he wrote that they had discussed various
Catholic doctrines before meeting Rizal. They discussed issues like the superiority of
religion over reason and the theological differences between Catholics and Protestants.
Before they could administer the necessary sacraments, they told him that he would
need to confess his beliefs and sign a letter of retraction. The two Jesuits left Rizal's
imprisonment about midday, and Rizal was still considering whether or not to sign the
letter of retraction. The Jesuits hastened to the archbishop's palace after their initial
meeting with Rizal to tell their superiors what had transpired. Balaguer and Vilaclara
went back to Rizal at three o'clock in the afternoon, and they persisted in trying to
persuade him to repent all the way until dark. He refused to recognize the retraction in
writing, despite their best efforts. The two retraction forms that Fr Pi had given them
were given to Rizal at their third encounter with him, which started at ten that night. The
initial template, according to Fr. Balaguer was rejected by Rizal because it was too
lengthy and didn't accurately reflect his language and writing style. The academics
believe that Jose Rizal's article reflecting his retractions whether or not he actually did
so was more the product of Rizal's moral courage in owning up to his mistakes. Even if
it is true that he felt regret and reverted back to his faith, Rizal's position as a great hero
with such brilliance is unchanged. As said in the documentary "Ang Bayaning Third
World '' in which Rizal is played by Joel Torre, whether Rizal retracted or not would not
impact what he has already done or what his works have already accomplished.
Additionally, ex-senator Jose Diokno argues that Rizal was as outstanding a Filipino
whether he died a Catholic or an apostate. Rizal is still remembered as the hero who
desired death, whether he was a Mason or a Catholic, "to prove to those who question
our patriotism that we are willing to die for our country and our beliefs."