The News
Pope Francis criticized both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on Friday for their immigration and abortion policies that he said were “against life,” and urged Catholics in the US to vote for the “lesser evil.”
The pope weighed in on the presidential candidates during a flight back to Rome after wrapping up a 12-day tour of Asia aimed at addressing climate change and reinforcing the church’s presence in the region.
He criticized Trump’s anti-immigration stance as a “grave sin” and characterized Harris’ support for abortion rights as “an assassination,” though he did not explicitly mention them by name, the Associated Press reported.
Francis’ comments illuminate the dilemma for Catholic voters caught between US policies on immigration and reproductive rights, reflecting broader divisions within the Church on social issues.
This isn’t the first time Francis has commented on a US presidential election. When asked about Trump’s desire to build a wall along the US-Mexico border during the 2016 campaign, Francis responded that anyone who constructed a wall to exclude migrants “is not Christian.”