THE LETTER OF

RETRACTION
BSBA-2
 WHAT IS A RETRACTION?

• A public statement made about an earlier statement that

withdraws, cancel, refutes, or reverse the original statement or
ceases and desists from publishing the original statement.
 WHAT WAS THE RETRACTION ABOUT?

• The letter, dated December 29, 1896, was said to have been signed by the
National Hero himself. Rizal retracted because the church would not allow
his marriage to Josephine Bracken unless he retracted his masonic
affiliation.
“I declare myself a catholic and in this Religion in which I was born and educated I
wish to live and die.

I retract with all my heart whatever in my words, writings, publications, and

conduct has been contrary to my character as son of the Catholic Church. I believe
and I confess whatever she teaches and I submit to whatever she demands. I
abominate Masonry, as the enemy which is of the Church, and as a Society
prohibited by the Church. The Diocesan Prelate may, as the superior Ecclesiastical
Authority, make public this spontaneous manifestation of mine in order to repair
the scandal which my acts may have caused and so that God and people may
pardon me.”

Manila 29 of December 1896 Jose Rizal – The Retraction Letter.

 MAIN ISSUES CONCERNING THE
RETRACTION
• RIZAL RETRACTED HIS MASONIC AFFILATION
• RIZAL WROTE AND SIGNED THE RETRACTION
• RIZAL’S MARRIAGE TO JOSEPHINE
 TIMELINE

• 1891 – Rizal arrived in Hongkong to practice his medical profession.

• 1892 – founded La Liga Filipina
• 1895 – Rizal became acquainted with Josephine Bracken.
 TIMELINE
1896
• December 26 – Rizal was accused and tried before a military tribunal for the
alleged crimes of rebellion, sedition, and legal association.
• December 28 – Governor General affirmed the death sentence and set the
execution of Rizal on December 30 at 7:00 o’clock in the morning.
• December 29 – Father Saderra and Father Luis Viza visited Rizal and he asked them
whether some of those who had been professor were still there in Ateneo.
• December 29 – Rizal had decided to retract.
• December 30 – at 6 o’clock in the morning Josephine Bracken and Rizal was
married
• December 30 – Execution of Rizal.
 DID RIZAL RETRACT HIS MASONIC
AFFILATION?

Rizal stated in his retraction…

“I abominate Masonry as the enemy of the Church and reprobated by the

same “Church” (Rizal, “The Retraction Letter”. 1896)
 DID RIZAL WROTE AND SIGNED THE
RETACTION?

…”The style is as simple as mine. Don’t bother, Father, to read it all. Dictate
what I ought to profess or express, and I shall write, making in any case
some remarks.” (Rizal, 1896)
…Declaration or retraction was signed together with Dr. Rizal by Señor
Fresno Chief of the Picket, and Señor Mourem Adjutant of the Plaza.
 DID RIZAL AND JOSEPHINE GOT MARRIED?

• Father Balaguer testified he married Rizal and Josephine on December 30

at 6 o’clock in the morning.
• After his marriage, Rizal dedicated a Catholic devotion book, De la
Imitacion de Cristo, to Josephine. The dedication read as follows: “to my
dear and unhappy wife Josephine”. (Garcia, 1964)
 ANTI-RETRACTIONISTS

• After analyzing six major documents of Rizal, Ricardo Pascual concluded

that the retraction document, said to have been discovered in 1935, was not
in Rizal’s handwriting.
• Senator Rafael Palma, a former President of the University of the
Philippines and prominent Mason, argued that a retraction is not in keeping
with Rizal’s character and mature beliefs. He called the retraction story of
“pious fraud” Others who deny the retraction are Frank Laubach, a
Protestant minister’ Austin Coates, a British writer and Ricardo Manapat
director of the National Archives.
 PRO-RETRACTIONISTS

A. Eyewitness
• Father Vicente Balaguer – first eyewitness
• Father Sanchez visited Rizal in Dapitan and persuaded him to retract.
• Father patells had exchanged several long letters with Rizal for the
same purpose with Father Sanchez.
• Declaration or retraction was signed together with Dr. Rizal by Señor
Fresno, Chief of the Picket and Señor Moure, Adjutant of the Plaza.
• Former Lieutenant of the infantry – Second Eyewitness
 PRO-RETRACTIONISTS

B. The marriage of Rizal and Josephine

• The act of retraction is established because while still in Dapitan the
condition imposed on Rizal was “No retraction, No marriage”
• Father Balaguer the priest who had married them testified under oath
that:
• At 6 o’clock in the morning of December 30, Josephine Bracken and one
of Rizal’s sisters, arrived crying bitterly. With the knowledge of the
warden of the Fort, I proceed to the marriage of Rizal and Josephine.
 PRO-RETRACTIONISTS

C. The Catholic devotion book

• After Rizal had retracted, he read a blue pamphlet entitled, Aceptacion
de la Muerte, containing the “Acts of Faith, Hope and Charity”. After this,
he went to confession and received holy communion.
• The Priest and Crucifix
• Rizal was accompanied by two catholic priests to his execution ground.
• It is common and usual practice for Catholics to kiss the crucifix before
they die. Rizal did so and kissed the crucifix offered to him by the two
catholic priests before he was shot.
 PRO-RETRACTIONISTS

E. Fr. Manuel A Garcia: best evidence

• In Fr. Manuel A. Garcia’s (an archdiocesan archivist way back in 1935)
accounts of events, he came across a bundle of document entitled
“masoneria” in this bundle, he came across the document of
retraction which had been long lost.
Archbishop O’Doherty, despite the approval of Teodoro Kalaw (the
Director of the National Library), was not satisfied with the mere document
itself so he requested Prof. H. Otlet Beyer (Professor of Anthropology) in
the University of the Philippines to study and examine the Rizal retraction
document. He examined Rizal’s supposed handwriting in the document of
retraction and compared it with 150 letters and documents that were
written in Rizal’s handwriting .
There is not the slightest doubt that every word on the document of
retraction was written by Jose Rizal, except for the signatures of the other
witnesses. The whole document was found to be written by Rizal in his
normal handwriting.
• Dr. Jose I. del Rosario also compared this piece of document with
numerous letters of Dr. Jose Rizal. Dr. Jose I. del Rosario did not find
anything in Rizal’s retraction which does not proclaim that the retraction
is in fact. He points out the most salient individual characteristic points of
identity between the handwriting of the retraction and the undisputed
handwriting of Rizal.
 IMPORTANT POINTS…

It should also be pointed out that in the first place;

• Rizal did not fight the Catholic religion; he fought those who abused that
religion.
• Rizal was not against the Catholic religion but was against the manner
the Catholic religion was practiced by the friars in the Philippines during
his time.
THANK YOU!!!