Pope Francis has made a striking and candid remark regarding the upcoming U.S. presidential election, characterizing the two leading candidates, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, as opposing forces, both embodying what he referred to as “evil.”
Speaking aboard the papal plane during a news conference on Friday, the pontiff urged American voters to reflect deeply on their decision and vote for what he called the “lesser evil.”
His comments reflect a broader moral concern with both candidates’ positions on issues central to the Church’s teachings.
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“One should vote, and choose the lesser evil,” Pope Francis said.
He further left it to the individual conscience of voters to determine who represents that “lesser evil,” without explicitly endorsing either candidate.
“Who is the lesser evil, the woman or the man? I don’t know. Everyone in their conscience should think and do it,” he said.
Francis didn’t shy away from criticizing the core platforms of both Harris and Trump, describing their policies as “against life.” In his blunt assessment, he addressed Harris’s pro-abortion stance and Trump’s hardline immigration policies.
“Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,” the Pope said, in a clear reference to Trump’s previous threats of mass deportation and Harris’s pro-choice advocacy.
The abortion issue stood out as particularly troubling for the pontiff. Francis reiterated his firm stance, declaring that abortion is fundamentally a form of killing.
“To have an abortion is to kill a human being,” Francis asserted, leaving no room for ambiguity on where he stood. “You may like the word or not, but it’s killing. We have to see this clearly.”
The comments come on the heels of a recent debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, during which both candidates defended their positions on various issues, including the economy, immigration, and, crucially, abortion. Harris, a staunch advocate for reproductive rights, has maintained her support for abortion rights, aligning herself with the Democratic Party’s platform. Meanwhile, Trump continues to emphasize strict immigration measures, including his controversial stance on deporting undocumented immigrants.
Pope Francis’s interjection into the U.S. political discourse is not entirely unexpected, given his history of addressing global social justice issues. However, his remarks stand out and are expected to have a significant impact on voters.
The Catholic Church represents the second-largest religious grouping in the country after Protestantism. A 2020 Gallup poll indicated that 25% of Americans identified as Catholic, translating to over 70 million individuals.
This means the Pope’s statement could influence the voting decisions of this significant Catholic population, potentially shifting the balance in what has already been a deeply polarized election.
In the United States, the Catholic vote has historically played a pivotal role in elections, with Catholic voters being split between the Democratic and Republican parties based on various issues, particularly those related to social justice, immigration, and abortion.
Thus, the Pope’s admonition to vote for the “lesser evil” is believed to have introduced a moral dilemma into the electoral equation, one that could profoundly impact voter behavior, particularly within the large and influential Catholic community.