Pope urges Catholic voters to ‘choose the lesser of two evils’
Pontiff slams both Harris and Trump over their respective policies on abortion and immigration
Pope Francis has criticised both former US president Donald Trump over his plan to deport millions of immigrants and Vice-President Kamala Harris over her stance supporting abortion rights.
Asked about the presidential election on his flight back to Rome from Singapore, the pope said not welcoming migrants was a “grave” sin, and likened having an abortion to an “assassination”.
He said American Catholics would have to “choose the lesser evil” when they voted in November, without elaborating.
Francis was speaking at a press conference after a demanding 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania. Although the pope did not use Trump and Harris’ names, he referred specifically to their policies and their genders. Despite criticising both candidates, he said Catholics should vote.
“Not voting is ugly,” the 87-year-old pontiff said. “It is not good. You must vote. You must choose the lesser evil. Who is the lesser evil? That lady, or that gentleman? I don’t know. Everyone, in conscience, [has to] think and do this.”
American Catholics, numbering roughly 52 million, are often seen as crucial swing voters. In some battleground states, including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, more than 20 per cent of adults follow the faith.
Francis, leader of about 1.4 billion Catholics globally, is usually careful about weighing in on national political elections.
But he frequently criticises abortion, which is forbidden by Catholic teaching, in sharp terms. He has also previously attacked Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. During the 2016 election, he said Trump was “not Christian” in his views.
On Friday, Francis said both candidates’ policies were “against life”. “Whether it is the one who is chasing 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 United States if elected to a second term as president. He has also refused to rule out building detention camps for undocumented immigrants.
Harris has promised to sign any legislation passed by Congress to restore national protections for abortion access, which were struck down by the Supreme Court in its 2022 Dobbs decision.
The two candidates sparred over both issues on Tuesday in their first debate together. Most polls show a tight race, with Harris leading slightly.
The pope called immigration “a right”, citing Bible passages that call orphans, widows and foreigners three kinds of people that society must care for. “Not giving welcome to migrants is a sin,” the pope said. “It is grave.”
Francis said abortion “is killing a human being”. He said there could be no excuses for an abortion.
“It is an assassination,” he said. “On these things we must speak clearly. No ‘but’ or ‘however’.”
Balancing political priorities has become a subject of discussion among the US bishops, who have issued a similar election guidance each presidential cycle since 2007-08, with some updates.
Their latest version, released with a new introduction in November 2023, states that the “threat of abortion” is a “pre-eminent priority” for Catholics.
Whether it is the one who is chasing away migrants, or the one who kills children. Both are against life POPE FRANCIS