Pope Francis on Friday criticized both U.S. presidential candidates for what he characterized as anti-life policies on abortion and migration.
“Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants or the one who (supports) killing babies,” the Pope said during a press conference on the papal plane, referring to former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
“Both are against life,” Francis added.
The Pope has frequently advocated for migrants and recently angered Trump supporters when he said during an August speech that those who work at rejecting migrants are committing “a grave sin.”
Meanwhile, Francis also supports the Catholic Church teaching that abortion is a sin, though he has seemingly not been as outspoken about the issue as his predecessors.
Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images
During a press conference on the papal plane as it flew back to Rome following the Pope’s tour through Asia, Francis was asked to give advice to American Catholic voters in regards to November’s presidential election.
He didn’t mention Trump or Harris by name, but he spoke about issues associated with both of their political parties.
Francis said migration is addressed in Scripture and reiterated it’s a sin to not follow the Bible’s words about welcoming strangers.
He previously condemned Trump’s stance on migrants during the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. When asked about Trump’s pledge to construct a wall at the U.S.-Mexican border, Francis replied by saying that anyone who builds a wall to keep out migrants “is not Christian.”
On abortion, the pope said on Friday that to “have an abortion is to kill a human being.”
“You may like the word or not, but it’s killing,” he said. “We have to see this clearly.”
Though he took issue with both candidates, Francis maintained it’s still important to turn up at the polls.
“One should vote and choose the lesser evil,” he said. “Who is the lesser evil, the woman or man? I don’t know.”
He added, “Everyone in their conscience should think and do it.”
Abortion and immigration have emerged as major issues in this year’s election. Trump has campaigned on cracking down on illegal immigration and deporting people who have entered the U.S. illegally.
Harris, meanwhile, strongly supports abortion rights. She has also blamed Trump for appointing conservative justices to the Supreme Court, thus leading to the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, which protected a woman’s constitutional right to abortion.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
