The Rizal Bill of 1956: Horacio de la Costa and the Bishops.
In order to understand more about our history, first, I must need to understand
and acknowledge the contributions of each character in our topic. The past would
remain in the past, but we must also do our best to look back and try to understand
the decisions that were made during that time, whether it may be good or bad,
harmful or beneficial, or whether their decisions were self-serving or not, we should
analyse our history in order to not make the same mistake twice
In order to understand more about our history, first, I must need to understand
and acknowledge the contributions of each character in our topic. The past would
remain in the past, but we must also do our best to look back and try to understand
the decisions that were made during that time, whether it may be good or bad,
harmful or beneficial, or whether their decisions were self-serving or not, we should
analyse our history in order to not make the same mistake twice
In order to understand more about our history, first, I must need to understand
and acknowledge the contributions of each character in our topic. The past would
remain in the past, but we must also do our best to look back and try to understand
the decisions that were made during that time, whether it may be good or bad,
harmful or beneficial, or whether their decisions were self-serving or not, we should
analyse our history in order to not make the same mistake twice
In order to understand more about our history, first, I must need to understand
and acknowledge the contributions of each character in our topic. The past would
remain in the past, but we must also do our best to look back and try to understand
the decisions that were made during that time, whether it may be good or bad,
harmful or beneficial, or whether their decisions were self-serving or not, we should
analyse our history in order to not make the same mistake twice
In order to understand more about our history, first, I must need to understandand acknowledge
the contributions of each character in our topic. The past wouldremain in the past, but we must
also do our best to look back and try to understandthe decisions that were made during that
time, whether it may be good or bad,harmful or beneficial, or whether their decisions were
self-serving or not, we shouldanalyse our history in order to not make the same mistake twice
Who is Horacio de la Costa?
Horacio de la Costa was the first Filipino Provincial Superior of the Society of
Jesus in the Philippines, and a recognized authority in Philippine and Asian
culture and history. He is also brilliant writer, scholar, and historian, and an
Ordained a Jesuit priest at the age of 30, he became, at age 55, the first Filipino
provincial superior of this religious order, the Society of Jesus.
(He is PRO-RIZAL)
According to the abridged summary, there were five (5) known versions
of dela Costa’s pastoral letter – in which some of those showed that he was forced
by an unknown interlocutor to have his view tampered. Several pastoral letter drafts
that were written by Horacio de la Costa for the Bishops in 1952 survived and then
he highlighted the points that had shown great praises and/or acknowledgment
towards Rizal’s works and services.
There are five (5) known versions of Horacio de la Costa's pastoral letter:
the original draft (Draft A)
the carbon copies of their predecessors (Draft B)
the first revision (Draft C)
the abridged version (Draft D)
and the copy of the "Statement", where De la Costa underlined everything
that was omitted by the Catholic church (Draft E).
In Conclusion…
Draft C distorted the truth and some words were twisted. In Draft C, there appears a
conscious effort not to praise Rizal too highly. His excellent qualities became simply
"great". Rizal's contributions were downplayed and minimized. Rizal's "unswerving
devotion to the truth" is omitted, meaning the letter was firm to leave out or exclude
the truth and the facts. The pastoral letters argued that the compulsory reading of the
original versions of Rizal’s novels would negatively affect the Youth.
Rizal did not intend to attack the Catholic Church itself, but the abuses in it.
However, Rizal's novels were condemned by the church. He wrote about fictional
crimes of fictional characters, which had a basis in fact
n conclusion, the church actively campaigned to not let Rizal's novels, stories, life
and influence the Youth. They were determined in opposing the bill out of fear that it
would violate the freedom of conscience and religion
