Pope criticizes Harris and Trump and tells US Catholics to choose ‘lesser evil’

Pope Francis on Friday criticized Donald Trump over his plan to deport millions of immigrants and Kamala Harris over her stance supporting abortion rights.

Asked about the US presidential election on his flight back to Rome from Singapore, the pope said not welcoming migrants is a "grave" sin, and likened having an abortion 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 12-day tour across south-east Asia and Oceania. Although the pope did not use Trump and Harris's names, he referred specifically to their policies and their genders. Despite criticizing both candidates, he said Catholics should vote.

"Not voting is ugly," the 87-year-old pontiff said. "It is not good. You must vote.

"You must choose the lesser evil," he continued. "Who is the lesser evil? That lady, or that gentleman? I don't know. Everyone, in conscience, [has to] think and do this."

American Catholics, numbering roughly 52 million nationwide, are often seen as crucial swing voters. In some battleground states, including Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, more than 20% of adults are Catholic.

Francis, leader of about 1.4 billion Catholics globally, is usually careful about weighing in on national political elections. But he frequently criticizes abortion, which is forbidden by Catholic teaching, in sharp terms. He has also previously criticized Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric. During the 2016 election, he said Trump was "not Christian" in his views. On Friday, Francis said both candidates' policies were "against life".

"Whether it is the one who is chasing away migrants, or the one that kills children," said the pope. "Both are against life."

Trump has promised to crack down on illegal immigration and deport millions of immigrants already in the US if elected to a second term as president. He has also refused to rule out building detention camps for undocumented immigrants.

Harris has promised to sign any legislation passed by Congress to restore national protections for abortion access, which were struck down by the US supreme court in its 2022 Dobbs decision.

The two candidates sparred over both issues on Wednesday in their first debate together. Most polls show a tight race, with Harris leading slightly.

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."

Francis said abortion "is killing a human being". He said there could be no excuses for an abortion. "It is an assassination," he said. "On these things we must speak clearly. No 'but' or 'however'."