Asked about the U.S. presidential election on his flight back to Rome from Singapore, the Pope Francis said not welcoming migrants is a “grave” sin, and likened having an abortion to an “assassination”.
Without providing any additional details, he stated that Catholics in the United States would be required to “choose the lesser evil” when voting in November.
On September 13, Pope Francis criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and former U.S. President Donald Trump for their support of abortion rights and their plan to deport millions of immigrants.
The Pope was talking in a public interview with journalists following a 12-day visit across Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Despite not mentioning Trump or Harris by name, the Pope made specific references to their genders and policies. Although he criticized the two candidates, he said Catholics ought to vote.
“Not voting is ugly,” the 87-year-old pontiff said. “It is not good. You must 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, (has to) think and do this.”
American Catholics, numbering around 52 million in the U.S, are in many cases seen as pivotal swing electors. In some milestone states, including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, over 20% of grown-ups are Catholic.
Francis, leader of around 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, is generally cautious about saying something regarding public political decisions. But he as often as possible spoken against abortion, which is prohibited by Catholic teaching, in sharp terms.
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 both candidates’ policies are “against life”.
“Whether it is the one who is chasing away migrants, or the one who that kills children,” said the pope. “Both are against life.”
Trump has vowed to get serious about unlawful migration and expel a large number of them currently in the U.S. If elected for 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 fought over the two issues on Wednesday in their first debate together. The majority of polls show a close race with Harris slightly ahead.
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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,” said the pope. “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 U.S. 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 “preeminent priority” for Catholics.
