Name: Kirsten Marie Exim Schedule: MTH/9:00-10:30 Did Jose Rizal Retract or Not?

Date: March 19, 2012

There were two instances in Jose Rizals life that pushed him to consider a retraction or not. It first came when he decided to marry Josephine Bracken in Dapitan canonically. This was not granted by Father Obach without the permission of the Bishop of Cebu who wants Rizal to write a retraction paper in exchange for marriage. The second instance was during the last hours of his life on December 29, 1896. The friars have always wanted Rizal to retract his words against the Church. Through time, a lot of arguments relating to Jose Rizals retraction emerged. Yet, the defenders and offenders of Rizals retraction cant settle on a final decision. I am personally on the side of the offenders. I am convinced that Jose Rizal did not retract based on the arguments I am about to present. I have weighed both of the side of the Anti-Catholic and the Catholic Rizalists and is settled that the Anti-Catholic Rizalists have plausible arguments. First, let us examine one of the strong evidences the defenders of retraction have in hand, the Retraction Document itself. It was said to be prepared by Father Pio Pi and Rizal just made some revisions in it. After the death of Jose Rizal, the debate of his retraction called for a scientific investigation of the document. According to Dr. Ricardo R. Pascual, the slant of the letters in the standard writings are higher compared to the points yielded by the Retraction document, there are significant variations the way individual letters are formed, and the signature of Rizal found in the Retraction document has indications of stops which, says the critic, are most naturally explained by the fact that a forger might stop at certain points to determine what form to make next. Also, the line I wish to live and die is strange at a time where Rizal has only less than twelve hours to live. Another argument considered in the mainstream of the retraction debate is Rizals burial. If claims were true that Jose Rizal retracted, then why the church did deny

a formal burial for Jose Rizal? And why were there no attempt of salvage from the execution? Moreover, Jose Rizals actions before his death are not strong proofs of conversion. He left letters for his loved ones, but he has never mentioned any retraction in those papers. Also, for a man faced with death, hearing mass and confessions are normal. Rizal after all, is a faithful servant of God, but has never been a slave of the Church. He also did not mention any retraction in his farewell poem, Mi Ultimo Adios. Lastly, Rizal is neither against nor with the Church. He did not say anything against the creed of the Roman Catholic. He despises only the friars, people hiding under the comforting roof of the Church. Thus, Rizal did not convert his self from a believer to an unbeliever. He only had his ideas changed but not his faith. He had made a meaningful and consistent thought about religion but his faith remains unharmed. An act of retraction is not something a man such as Jose Rizal can do. He is mature, wiser than a common thirty five year-old man, and is consistent with his thoughts especially with his principles in religion. Whether Jose Rizal retracted, which I believe is not true, he still remains an ingenious writer, a man who sees the world in a different perspective and is willing to die for his belief and aspirations. It may not be his objective to die for the Filipinos, but he died proving that an Indio can be as knowledgeable as him, as brave, as charismatic or more even.