diced b Jos e S. Arc a, - non

Philippines, its beauty, wealth, abundance, and bad government; next, theDominicans, their power, their lands, piety, wealth, and the use made of it;finally, the Cavite mutiny with its unfornmate results for the native(Filipinoclergy.'Two days later, still in the same emotional state, he wrote to Blumentritt.But in this letter we notice nuances and modifications of the subjective tonewith which he consigned the facts in his diary. The first idea, the Philippines,appears in these words:The closer I am to my country, the more vehement is my desire to return. I knoweveryone considers this as folly, but something is pushing me. Is this good or badluck? I cannot give up my longing to see my country. 16The suppression of the events in Cavite are more patent in this letter. Hewrote Blumentritt Bishop Volonteri "even remembered the names of theexecuted priests, and talked of them with compassion and admiration." Onthe other hand, the reference to the Dominicans is softened in general termssummarizing the negative aspect under one total picture of the friars in thePhilippines. According to Rizal, the bishop kept repeating "Si troppo richi,ma troppo richi (Indeed, too rich, terribly too rich!)."How these statements by the prelate affected Rizal is evident in thefollowing paragraph:With us on board are many missionaries—Franciscans, Jesuits, and a Bishop,Monsignor Volonteri, who was in the Philippines 23 years ago. This lovable oldman sincerely commiserated with the conditions of my country, spoke againstthe wealth and the abuses of the friars in the Philippines. I wish you had heardhim speak. He thinks exactly like you. He described the Philippines a paradisebut abused and exploited. I was deeply moved and his words have strengthenedand confirmed even more my convictions.'sThe underlined words are of great significance. They synthesize theimportance of Rizal's acquaintance with a person as romantically patrioticand nationalist as himself and perhaps an unconscious factor in the Philippinehero's non-retirement from politics and his failure to find the peace and quiethe wanted. But before studying the role of this missionary bishop, we mustfirst look into what Rizal ,..ntered in his diary regarding religion in general andthe members of the religious orders, his fellow passengers in particular, twothemes that occupy him most of the time of his maritime crossing."3