Lesson 11: The Rizal Retraction

Group 3
 Historical Context
• Dr. Jose Rizal was arrested, tried, and sentenced to
death by a spanish court martial after being
implicated as a leader of the Philippine Revolution.

• December 30, 1896, accounts exist that Rizal

allegedly retracted his Masonic ideals and his
writings and reconverted to Catholicism following
several hours of persuasion by Jesuit priests.
• A few hours before he was shot, Rizal signed a
document stating that he was a Catholic and
retracted all his writings against the church. The
document was known as the "The Retraction."

• Rizal’s retraction letter was discovered by Father

Manuel Garcia, C.M. in 1935 at the Catholic
hierarchy’s archive in Manila. The letter, dated
December 29, 1896.
• Fr . Vicente Balaguer claimed to be one of the Jesuit priest
who visited Rizal in Fort Santiago and claimed that he
managed to persuade Rizal to retract everything he wrote
against the Catholic Church and saying that He was a Catholic
but the statement/account of Balaguer didnt have enough
evidence to prove that the retraction which is signed by Jose
Rizal was true.
• Balaguer also claimed that he was the one who solemnized the
marriage of Josephine Bracken and Rizal hours before the
hero's execution
• an Article made by Xiao Chua saying that in his investigations ,
The 2 priest that entered Rizal's Cell was Father March ,
Father Vilaclara and his cousel Adrade but no one said about
Father Balaguer in there.
• De la Imitacion De Cristo is a book given to Josephine Bracken
in her last visit to rizal. Inside the book, there is written notes
by Rizal “To my dear and unhappy wife, Josephine, December
30th, 1896, Jose Rizal.” and it said "Wife" to Josephine
Bracken which means they were officially married before he
was executed and based on the notes too, he said things that
interprets how he want to die and be burried as a Catholic.
• Padre Pio (Francesco Forgione) was born to Giuseppa and
Grazio Forgione, in the small farming town of Pietrelcina, Italy
on May 25, 1887.
• During his lifetime, he became known for bearing the stigmata
(wounds of Christ). His followers attributed several miracles to
his intervention. his reputation rose during the papacy of John
Paul II; Padre Pio was canonised (Officially declare (a dead
person) to be a saint.) on 16 June 2002.
• Father Pio pi died in September 23, 1968 in his cell in San
Giovanni Rotondo, early in the morning. His last words were
Gesu, Maria (Jesus, Mary).
• Fr. Pio Pi was the Jesuit Superior in the Philippines during the
time when Rizal was executed.
• In 1917, he issued an affidavit recounting his involvement in
the alleged retraction of rizal.
• He was involved only in securing the retraction document from
the Archbishop of Manila, and writing another shorter retraction
document as well which was the one Rizal allegedly copied.
• Rafael Palma (24 October 1874 – 24 May 1939) was a
Filipino politician, Lawyer, Rizalian, writer, educator and a
famous Freemason. He became the fourth President of the
University of the Philippines.
• He was later elected a senator under the Nacionalista Party,
consistently representing the 4th District, in both the 1916 and
1919 senatorial polls.
• The author of Biografia de Rizal, a work on the life of the
national Hero. The story of Rizal's alleged retraction is found in
chapter 32 and 33 with Palma's analysis in the latter chapter.
• Austin Coates (1922–1997) was a British civil servant, writer
and traveller. He was the son of noted English composer Eric
Coates.
• Austin Coates wrote extensively on topics related to the Asia-
Pacific region, particularly Hong Kong and Macau. After Hong
Kong, he was the Chinese Affairs Officer in Sarawak from 1957
to 1959.