The Pope urges Catholics to choose the "lesser of two evils" in US election

Pope Francis. Photo: Reuters

Pope Francis criticized both U.S. presidential candidates and urged Catholic voters to choose the "lesser of two evils" when considering the candidacies of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. He made this statement on September 13 during a press conference following a 12-day trip to Southeast Asia.

The pontiff did not mention the two candidates by name but hinted at their positions on immigration and abortion.

"Both are against life. One wants to expel migrants, while the other kills babies," Francis stated.

In fact, one of the items on Donald Trump's campaign agenda is the fight against illegal immigration, while Kamala Harris advocates for abortion rights.

In response to a question about what advice he could give to his American co-religionists regarding the elections, Francis said: "Opting out of voting is unacceptable. That's very bad. You must vote. You must choose the lesser of two evils. Who is the lesser evil? The lady or the gentleman? I don't know."

The U.S. presidential election takes place this November. The opinion of the head of the Roman Catholic Church could influence the stance of the 52 million Catholics in the U.S., who make up about 20% of the country's population.

As previously reported, only 31% of American Catholics attend Mass weekly.

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