Pope Francis Says Americans Should Choose “The Lesser of Two Evils,” Slams Trump and Harris
Pope Francis Americans weigh in on the upcoming choice between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump on Friday, criticize Both candidates are “anti-life” and urge Catholic voters to choose “the lesser of two evils.”
“One has to choose the lesser of two evils. Who is the lesser of two evils? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know,” Francis told reporters aboard the papal plane.
Francis, who was more than political publicity on some topics than her predecessors, criticizing Trump’s handling of immigration and Harris’ support for access to abortion services.
“Putting migrants away, leaving them wherever you want, leaving them behind… that’s terrible, there’s evil there. Taking a child out of the womb is murder, because there’s still life. We have to be clear about these things,” he said.
This is not the first time the Pope has commented on such issues during his 11-year tenure.
Back in 2016, when Trump was running his first presidential campaign on building a wall on the southwest border, “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they are, and not building bridges, is not a Christian,” Francis said of the GOP frontrunner. “That is not the gospel.”
At the time, Trump immediately fired back, saying, “If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which, as everyone knows, is ISIS’s greatest trophy, I can promise you that the Pope will only hope and pray that Donald Trump becomes president.”
In 2021, in a rare public rift between the Vatican and the US bishops, the Pope warned conservative US bishops through the organization to “stop their efforts to deny Communion to politicians who support abortion rights,” New York Times reportedThe Vatican’s response comes as some leading US bishops are questioning whether President Joe Biden to receive communion because he supports some reproductive freedom measures. Biden is the first Roman Catholic to occupy the Oval Office in 60 years—since John F. Kennedy.
Francis, who was call abortion is a “plague” and a “crime” similar to “mafia” behavior, when it is said that communion “is not the reward of the saints, but the bread of sinners.”
The Pope has also criticized Couples choose pets over children—repeating Republican vice presidential candidate and new Catholic JD Vance“The cat without children” comment—speak “The denial” of fatherhood or motherhood “dehumanizes us.”
In October 2023, hundreds of delegates from around the world descended on the Vatican for a month-long meeting as part of Pope Francis’ “Synod on Synodality”—a gathering to discuss the church’s global goals and plans. For the first time, female delegates were allowed to participate.
A few months later, in December of last year, Francis released new instructions same-sex Catholic couples, saying their unions can receive formal blessings—as long as they are not confused with marriage. Same-sex couples, the letter states, cannot use “any dress, gestures, or speech that is appropriate for a wedding.”
Some of the Pope’s views on women and queerness—while not revolutionary—have upset a growing movement of a new breed of American right-wing Catholics.
Milo Yiannopoulosformer Breitbart editor agitated a racist campaign against the comedian Leslie Jones and was banned from Twitter for it in 2016, has call to “make the Vatican straight again” and “make America homophobic again.” (This is the same guy who said he arranged the meeting between Trump and white nationalist Nick Fuentes in 2022.)
According to BenchTwenty percent of adults in the United States identify as Catholic and tend to be older than the average American—and three-quarters of that group are said to have a positive view of Pope Francis. About six in ten Catholics think abortion should be legal, with 39% saying abortion should be legal in most cases and just 11% saying abortion should be illegal in all cases.
In the 2020 election, 52% of Catholic voters chose Biden, compared to 47% for Trump.
Despite criticizing the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, the Vatican leader said Catholics should vote.
“Not voting is ugly,” the 87-year-old pope said. “That is not good. You have to vote.”
