| Father Dámaso | |
|---|---|
| Noli Me Tángere character | |
| Created by | José Rizal |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Dámaso Verdolagas |
| Alias | Padre Dámaso |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Roman Catholic priest |
| Children | María Clara (daughter) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Nationality | Spanish |
Padre Dámaso Verdolagas is a fictional character in the novelNoli Me Tángere. The novel was written byJosé Rizal, one of the leaders of thePropaganda Movement in thePhilippines.Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not or "Social Cancer") is acontroversial andanticlericalnovel that exposed theabuses committed by theSpanishfriars (belonging to theRoman Catholic Church) and theSpanish elite incolonial Philippines during the 19th century.
The novel, according to the author, represented the state of Philippine society under Spanish colonial rule. It was intended as aliberal-nationalist wake-up call for the people of the Philippines. While the natives (indios) were trained to becomesecular clergy,Spanishpriests in the powerfulreligious orders were given preferential treatment in the assignment to parishes.
Dámaso Verdolagas, aFranciscan Spanish priest, was the formercurate of the town of San Diego. He was an enemy of Don Rafael Ibarra, Crisóstomo Ibarra's father; Don Rafael refuses to conform to the friars' power. After Don Rafael's death in jail, Padre Dámaso ordered his corpse exhumed and transferred to the Chinese cemetery, which he considered was forheathens. He was later revealed to be the biological father of María Clara. María Clara's mother, Doña Pía Alba, and Don Santiago de los Santos had been trying to conceive a child when Padre Dámaso raped Doña Pia.
Near the end of the novel, he and María Clara had a dispute about her not marrying Alfonso Linares, and her going to the convent or dying. This broke Padre Dámaso's heart. By the end of the novel, he was transferred to another town to be its curate. He was later found dead due to unknown causes, possibly depression or hypertension.
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