After being asked which candidate Americans should vote for in November, Pope Francis criticized both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday.
In response to inquiries from reporters, the head of the Catholic Church characterized both candidates as “anti-life.”
“With the US elections coming up, what advice would you give a Catholic voter faced with a candidate who supports ending a pregnancy and another who wants to deport 11 million migrants?” journalist Anna Matranga asked the pontiff.
“Both are against life: the one that throws out migrants and the one that kills children. Both are against life. I can’t decide; I’m not American and won’t go to vote there. But let it be clear: denying migrants the ability to work and receive hospitality is a sin, a grave sin. The Old Testament speaks repeatedly of the orphan, the widow, and the stranger—migrants. These are the three that Israel must care for. Failing to care for migrants is a sin, a sin against life and humanity…” Francis said.
“Then, abortion. Science says that at one month after conception, all the organs of a human being are present. Everything. Having an abortion is killing a human being.” Francis added a little later in the conversation.
“Whether you like the word or not, it’s murder. The Church is not closed-minded because it forbids abortion; the Church forbids abortion because it kills. It is murder; it is murder! And we need to be clear about this: sending migrants away, not allowing them to grow, not letting them have life is something wrong, it is cruelty. Sending a child away from the womb of the mother is murder because there is life. And we must speak clearly about these things. ‘No, but however…’ No ‘but however.’ Both things are clear. The orphan, the stranger, and the widow—do not forget this.” he added.
In response to a final question about whether it would be good for a Catholic to vote for any candidate that opposed abortion Francis said:
“In political morality, it is generally said that not voting is ugly, it’s not good. One must vote. And one must choose the lesser evil. Which is the lesser evil? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know; each person must think and decide according to their own conscience.” Francis concluded.
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