Mosén Millán

Mosén Millán is a very interesting character. He is a priest, and therefore does all of his required duties, but he does it automatically. I understand if a priest memorizes the prayers, but I believe that a person should be thinking about what they are saying and applying to their life. When people do something automatically, they do not receive any pleasure from doing so, because they are not paying attention. As a clergy member, Mosén Millán should have been showing an example of how to pray correctly and pay attention to life instead of being in automatic mode. It is Mosén Millán’s job to give the last rights, and when in the caves with Paco, he gave the rights automatically because he knew that is what he was needed for. Paco asked him questions about the suffering of the poor who lived in the caves, but Mosén Millán didn’t reply and did not explain. In the church, it is taught to help others, especially those less fortunate. Unfortunately, it seems like Mosén Millán was worried about himself and his living rather than helping out those that needed him most. When Mosén Millán was giving Paco his last rights, he was doing it automatically. Maybe he wanted to numb the pain of losing Paco and therefore was not paying attention, or maybe he really thought that Paco should die. Then while remembering Paco a year later at Paco’s requiem, he selectively remembers the past. He probably does not put guilt on himself even though he is the reason that Paco was revealed and later killed. Instead of keeping Paco hidden from the Nationalists, he gave Paco up on a silver platter. In the back of his mind, Mosén Millán must have known that Paco would be killed even though he asked them not to. Paco had done so many things against the Nationalists that they could not afford to have him rebel again. Again, Mosén Millán was worried about his livelihood and he wanted to stay in the good favors of the Nationalists despite the deaths of other residents in his parish.