Statements of Various Accounts in Rizal's Retraction

Fr. Vicente Balaguer

 ·         He is a Jesuit priest who said he spoke to urge Rizal to condemn Masonry and return to the Catholic fold. An affidavit executed in 1917 shows that it was he who solemnized Jose Rizal and Josephine Bracken's engagement.

Fr. Vicente Balaguer’s Statement

·         On the 9th of December 1896, Fr. Vilaclara and Fr. Vicente went to Santiago Fort, and Fr. Before ministering the sacraments to him, Vicente conceives that Rizal must make a retraction of errors and a confession of Catholic faith.

·         It was donated by the Archbishop to Fr. Vicente, Father Pio Pi Pii's formula of retraction and profession of faith His code of religion, according to Rizal, is the word of God that can be seen in the Holy Scriptures.

·         Rizal declared himself as a rationalist freethinker.

·         “Father, do not proceed. That style is different from mine. I cannot sign that because it should be understood that I am writing it myself.” –Rizal

·         “That style is simple as mine. Don’t bother, Father, to read it all. Dictate what I ought to profess and express, and I shall write, making any case some remarks.”

·         The retraction was signed together with Rizal by Senor Fresno, Chief of the Picket and Senor Moure, Adjutant of Plaza.         Father Balaguer testify that on the very day of Rizal’s death he wrote everything and preserved the account that serve as the data of presentation of his narration.

·         Father Balaguer also reported that before Dr. Rizal had reached Bagumbayan or Luneta today, he had gone to Ateneo and delivered to Father Pio the aforementioned document, which he had taken to the Palace on the same day and handed over to Archbishop Nozaleda.

 

Fr. Pio Pi

·         Father Pio Pi Y Vidal', S. J.

·         Superior in 1896 of the Jesuits in the Philippines

·         Provided an affidavit concerning his role in the Retraction of Rizal Doctor Rizal published the account he made in Manila in 1909, La Muerte Cristianadel

·         A Notarial Act signed in Barcelona on 7 April 1917 confirmed his account. Father Vicente Balaguer approved his shorter paper.

 

Fr. Pio Pi’s Statements

·         A letter was received by the fathers in the chapel for them to recognize and take care of Dr. Rizal, who is considered a prisoner.

·         Not because they are from the higher office, the fathers adopted what is written in the letter, but because they want to save the life of Dr. Rizal, their most eminent and cherished student.

·         Father Pio Pi had not visited or spoken to Dr. Rizal when he was in the chapel before being joined by other fathers to the Bagumbayan chapel.

·         The Bagumbayan is the place of execution of Rizal.

·         With Father Balaguer, Dr. Rizal had a long and very interesting conversation.

·         Rizal freely and fully yielded to his trust in the lord and Christian feelings

·         When the retraction was about to begin, there was a disagreement between Balaguer and the Archbishop over the composition they made.

·         The alteration was written by Father Balaguer and signed under the signature of Rizal, Picket Leader, Juan del Fresno and the Plaza Adjutant, Eloy Moure, who was the Witness.

·         Rizal took the document by his hand and knelt down the altar of the chapel.

·         Father Pio didn't know Rizal and didn't come to see him while he was at their church, but he knew what was going on and the execution of Rizal by his fellow fathers.

·         The Jesuit priests were able to convince him very quickly with regard to the tensions discussion from his anti-Catholic ideas, and so Rizal surrendered to the faith gladly and fully again.

·         He copied and changed his own retraction statement and, with the two witnesses, signed it. Dr. Rizal went to the altar after that and knelt down and read aloud this text.

Rafael Palma

·         Rafael Palma was the author of Biografia de Rizal

·        He’s a politician, lawyer, writer and an educator

·         He won a literary contest in 1938 sponsored by commonwealth government because of his book

·         Publication of book was postponed due to WWII and was only print in 1949

·         The book was translated in English on the same year by Roman Ozaeta and with a title Pride of Malay race, it was published by prentice hall in the US.

 

Rafael Palma’s Statement

·         After Rizal died, all the claims that he had removed his papers were unfounded or a falsification by Rafael Palma.

·         Taviel de Andrade was Rizal's defense attorney,

·         For Palma, the facts of Rizal's conversion was only a mere rumor.

·         The retraction paper was kept confidential so that no one but the authorities could see it.

·         Josephine Bracken's certificate of canonical marriage has been rejected

·         The burial of Rizal was kept secret

·         There were no masses held by Catholics for his soul or burial.

·         Rizal was not buried in Paco's Catholic cemetery.

·         Rizal claimed that he died impenitently and did not offer divine help.

·         For any excuse or logical motive, exceptional or irregular actions of an entity are almost

·         For him, the conversion of Rizal was a pious fraud to make people think that before the church he fought, the exceptional man broke down and succumbed.

 

Austin Coates

·         Rizal claimed that the friar bishop was the prime mover of deception, and that this friar was the one who needed his retraction.

·         Rizal is conscious that there would be a setback that would affect him once he made a retraction. He also assumed that he had little to retract prior to God.

 

Austin Coates’s Statement

·         Pio Pi y Vidal and Probity Jesuits do not believe in the retraction of Rizal and have died confessed.

·         The family of Rizal claimed Rizal had not retracted. If so, while they were talking, he must have told his mother about it.

·         Creating Balaguer's account to openly compliment himself

·         Balaguer exposed his own scam,

·         Rizal decided to compose poetry

·         There were only books, letters and alcohol burner left in the place when the authorities were about to dispose, they had not found any poetry on Rizal's place and they disclosed that Rizal was not inside Fort Santiago that night and Rizal did not know what was then taking place.

·         Balaguer made his account to explain that Rizal is not licensed to compose, but only to look at the Mi Ultimo Adios to illustrate that writing it only took him a few hours.