Singapore, Singapore.– Pope Francis criticized both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies and advised American Catholics to choose whoever they believe is the “lesser evil” in the upcoming U.S. election.
“Both are against life, whether it is the one who expels migrants or the one who kills babies,” said Francis.
The pontiff was asked to provide advice to American Catholic voters during an on-board news conference as he flew back to Rome from his four-country tour of Asia. Francis stressed that he is not American and will not vote. Neither Republican candidate Donald Trump nor Democratic candidate Kamala Harris were mentioned by name.
But Francis spoke in harsh terms when asked to give his position on two contentious issues in the US election – abortion and migration – that are also of great concern to the Catholic Church.
Francis has made the plight of migrants a priority of his pontificate and speaks out emphatically and frequently on the issue. While he strongly defends Church teaching banning abortion, Francis has not emphasized Church doctrine as much as his predecessors. Francis said migration is a right outlined in Scripture and that anyone who does not follow the biblical call to welcome the stranger is committing a “grave sin.” He was also blunt when speaking about abortion. “Aborting is killing a human being. You may like the word or not, but it is killing,” he said. “We have to see it clearly.” Asked what voters should do at the polls, Francis recalled the civic duty to vote. “You have to vote and choose the lesser evil,” he said. “Who is the lesser evil, the woman or the man? I don’t know. Each one in his conscience should think about it and do it.” It is not the first time Francis has weighed in on an American election. In the run-up to the 2016 election, he was asked about Trump’s plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Francis then declared that anyone who builds a wall to stop migrants “is not a Christian.” Responding on Friday, Francis recalled that he celebrated Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border and “there were so many migrant shoes that ended up badly there.”
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