On Friday, Francis said the policies of both candidates are “against life.” (Dossier)
Pope Francis on Friday criticized both former US President Donald Trump for his plan to deport millions of immigrants and Vice President Kamala Harris for her support for abortion rights.
Asked about the US presidential election on his flight back from Singapore to Rome, the pope said that not welcoming migrants was a “grave” sin and compared abortion to “murder”.
He said American Catholics should choose “the lesser evil” when they vote in November, but he did not elaborate.
Francis was speaking at a news conference with reporters after a demanding 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. While the pope did not name Trump or Harris, he specifically referred to their policies and their genders. Despite criticizing both candidates, he said Catholics should vote.
“Not voting is ugly,” the 87-year-old pope said. “It's not good. You have to vote.”
“You must choose the lesser evil,” he said. “Who is the lesser evil? That lady, or that gentleman? I don't know. Everyone, in conscience, (must) think and do this.”
American Catholics, who number about 52 million nationwide, are often seen as crucial swing voters. In some swing states, including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, more than 20 percent of adults are Catholic.
Francis, the leader of about 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, is typically cautious about his opinions on national political elections. But he has often been very vocal about abortion, which is prohibited by Catholic teaching. He has also previously criticized Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric. During the 2016 election, he said Trump was “not Christian” in his views.
On Friday, Francis said the policies of both candidates are “anti-life.”
“Whether it is the one who drives away migrants or the one who kills children,” the pope said. “Both are against life.”
Trump has promised to crack down on illegal immigration and deport millions of immigrants already in the U.S. if he is elected for a second term. He has also refused to rule out the construction of detention camps for undocumented immigrants.
Harris has pledged to sign any legislation passed by Congress to restore national abortion protections, legislation that was struck down by the Supreme Court in the 2022 Dobbs ruling.
The two candidates went head-to-head on both issues in their first debate on Wednesday, with most polls showing a neck-and-neck race, with Harris slightly ahead.
The pope called immigration “a right,” and cited passages from the Bible that name orphans, widows and foreigners as three types of people that society must care for. “Not welcoming immigrants is a sin,” the pope said. “It is serious.”
Francis said abortion “kills a human being.” He said there could be no excuses for abortion. “It is murder,” he said. “We must speak clearly about these things. No 'but' or 'however.'”
Balancing political priorities has become a topic of discussion among the U.S. bishops. Since 2007-2008, they have issued similar election guidelines for each presidential cycle, with some updates.
Their latest version, released in November 2023 with a new introduction, states that the “threat of abortion” is a “highest priority” for Catholics.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published via a syndicated feed.)
