MORE than shaping Jose Rizal into the “reformist” he is widely known as today, the Dominicans also represented the authority figures he would later challenge in his writings.

Even before he was recognized for his criticisms of the Church and Spanish colonial rule, Rizal already had a strained relationship with the Dominicans—a thorny connection that ultimately led to his execution on December 30, 1896, under the charge of rebellion.

In a historical review by theologian Mark DeStephano, Rizal’s complex relationship with the Dominicans began over a land dispute which stemmed from the friars’ ownership of massive estates in Calamba, Laguna. Rizal’s Father, Francisco Mercado, was subjected to “unjust treatment”  when their lease agreement was altered and allegedly doubled their rent.

This incident, according to DeStephano, profoundly affected Rizal and intensified his resentment to the colonial system and the religious orders’ unchecked influence. This injustice showed the exploitation of Filipino tenants under Spanish rule, a theme Rizal later utilized in his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

Critique of Catholic education

Having been nurtured in Jesuit education then later on by a Dominican order of teaching, Rizal couldn’t help but compare the quality of education in both institutions. DeStephano noted that Rizal’s disillusionment with Catholic education under the Dominicans at the University of Santo Tomas was due to his negative encounters with professors who were hostile to Filipino students.

While his Jesuit mentors at Ateneo helped hone his intellectual curiosity, Rizal believed that the Dominican teaching  was stifling, authoritarian, and prejudiced.

“The Jesuits seemed endlessly patient, understanding, and tolerant of the extravagances of youth. Unfortunately, Pepe found his Dominican professors to be just the opposite: domineering, smug, and, especially, condescending to their ‘Indian’ charges, who they believed to be intellectually inferior. Rizal felt that he was a captive in his own country,” he said.

Rizal observed that the academic merit was disregarded in favor of favoritism and discrimination.

“The young man believed that, at Santo Tomás. merit was not rewarded. Students were routinely insulted and debased in front of their peers, yet no one dared object, for fear not only of being expelled, but also of being charged with the gravest of all crimes, sedition,” DeStephano said.

As a university student, Rizal directly experienced Spanish oppression. While walking, he failed to salute a Spanish lieutenant, who knocked him down and injured him. 

Seeking justice, Rizal approached the Governor-General’s palace but was denied an audience, deepening his despair over the lack of justice for Filipinos.  This experience reinforced his belief that true freedom was unattainable in his homeland, according to DeStephano.

In El Filibusterismo, this sentiment is echoed through Isagani’s longing for a place of true freedom, away from colonial control.

‘Crisis of faith’

Rizal began to question his Catholic faith due to the abuses of Spanish and Filipino clergy. As a student at Ateneo, he was deeply religious, attending Mass, praying the rosary, and joining school activities. However, conflicts with Dominican professors and his family’s mistreatment by Dominican landlords hurt him deeply. 

The Spanish authorities’ refusal to reform pushed him towards European liberals who supported the Filipino cause, DeStephano said. These experiences led Rizal to doubt the faith he once cherished, seeing how it was used to justify injustice.