Rome: Pope Francis on Friday criticised both former US President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, both competing for the White House in November, over their 'anti-life' policies on migration and abortion and called on American Catholics to vote for the "lesser evil". The Argentine pope criticised Trump over his plan to deport immigrations and Harris over her support to abortion rights.
“Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies," Francis said on his flight back to Rome from Singapore, adding that not welcoming migrants is a "grave" sin and having an abortion was akin to an "assassination". He said US Catholics would have to "choose the lesser evil" when they vote in November, without elaborating.
Francis was speaking in a press conference with journalists after a demanding 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania. Although the pope did not use Trump and Harris' names, he referred specifically to their policies and their genders. He has made the plight of migrants a priority of his pontificate and speaks out emphatically and frequently about it.
“One should vote, and choose the lesser evil,” he said. “Who is the lesser evil, the woman or man? I don't know. Everyone in their conscience should think and do it." American Catholics, numbering roughly 52 million nationwide, are often seen as crucial swing voters.
Trump and Harris' promises
Trump has pledged to enforce massive deportations, just as he did in his first White House bid, when there was a vast gulf between his ambitions and the legal, financial and political realities of such an undertaking. He has also refused to rule out building detention camps for undocumented immigrants.
On the other hand, 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 2022. The two candidates sparred over both issues in the August 10 presidential debate, where Trump spoke on the massive number of undocumented Haitian immigrants in Ohio, while Harris claimed he would enforce a nationwide ban on abortion.
Pope Francis' previous remarks
Francis, leader of about 1.4 billion Catholics globally, is usually careful about weighing in on national political elections. However, he frequently criticises abortion, which is forbidden by Catholic teaching. He has previously criticised Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric during the run-up to the 2016 presidential elections, saying he was "not Christian" for building a wall at the Mexican border.
On Friday, 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." On Harris's stance on abortion, Francis said, "Performing an abortion is killing a human being. Whether you like the word or not, this is killing... It is murder."
Pope's overture to China
Meanwhile, Francis offered praise for China, calling it a "promise and hope" for the Catholic Church. The Vatican has been working for years to try to improve relations with China that were officially severed over seven decades ago when the Communists came to power. The Vatican is now in the final weeks of negotiations to renew a 2018 agreement on bishop nominations.
“I'm happy with the dialogue with China. The result is good... China for me is an illusion, in the sense that I want to visit China. A great country. I admire China. I respect China. It's a country with a millennial culture, with a capacity for dialogue and understanding that goes beyond other systems of democracy," he said.
(with agency input)
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