Pope urges Americans to pick the better candidate in US election, criticizes Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as Catholic leader | US News
The Pope has advised American Catholics to “choose the lesser evil” as he criticized both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Pope Francis made this unexpected statement during his flight from Singapore to Rome on Friday.
He expressed disapproval of Vice President Harris for her support of abortion rights, referring to the procedure as an “assassination.” He also condemned Mr. Trump’s plan to deport millions of immigrants as a “grave sin.”
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Pope Francis during a news conference aboard the papal plane after his 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania. Pic: Reuters
He urged American Catholics to consider the “lesser evil” when voting in November but did not provide further details.
These comments were made following his 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania.
In his address, he did not mention Ms. Harris or Mr. Trump by name but pointed out their policies and genders, emphasizing the importance of Catholic voting participation.
The 87-year-old stated: “Not voting is ugly. 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.”
He added, “Whether it is the one who is chasing away migrants or the one who kills children. Both are against life.”
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Ms. Harris has pledged to sign any legislation passed by Congress that would reinstate national protections for abortion access that were overturned by the Supreme Court two years ago.
Meanwhile, Trump has vowed to tighten controls on illegal immigration and deport millions of immigrants currently residing in the US. He has also entertained the idea of establishing detention camps for undocumented immigrants.
American Catholics make up approximately 52 million individuals across the US and hold significant voting influence. In key battleground states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as many as one in five adults are Catholic.
The Pope usually refrains from involvement in political elections but has been vocal about his opposition to abortion, which is strictly prohibited in Catholicism. He has previously criticized Mr. Trump for his anti-immigrant rhetoric, once stating during the 2016 election that Mr. Trump was “not Christian.”
