Pope Francis has advised American Catholic voters to choose the “lesser of two evils” saying both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are against life because of Trump’s stance toward immigrants, and Harris’s support for abortion rights.

Pope Francis did not endorse Kamala Harris or Donald Trump for U.S. President when asked, citing that “both are against life.”

Asked his advice to Catholic voters in the coming U.S. Presidential election, Pope Francis said they must choose the “lesser of two evils” because “both are against life” — Kamala Harris for her support for abortion rights, and Donald Trump for shutting the door to immigrants.

“Sending migrants away, not allowing them to grow, not letting them have life is something wrong; it is cruelty,” Francis said in a news conference on the plane on Friday, September 13, 2024, as he returned to Rome after his long trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania. “Sending a child away from the womb of the mother is murder because there is life. And we must speak clearly about these things.”

He made this statement as Francis, 87, concluded 11-day tour of the Asia-Pacific region that included stops in Jakarta, East Timor and Singapore, demonstrating his commitment to reach out to the faithful in what he calls “the peripheries” and to build a less Eurocentric church that looks to Asia.

The American bishops’ conference similarly advises Catholics to take the array of church teaching into account in the voting booth and does not endorse candidates — although some bishops weigh in more explicitly.

Francis described the rejection of migrants as a “grave sin” and “cruelty,” and abortion as “murder.” He said that both “are against life” and clearly wrong.

When asked whether it would be morally admissible to vote for someone who favored the right to abortion, he responded: “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 his or her own conscience.” Pope did not mention either candidate by name.

Francis was also asked about the situation in Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in 11 months of the war that began after Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on Oct. 7 last year.

“When you see the bodies of children killed, when you hear that schools are bombed because guerrillas might be inside, it’s horrifying. It’s horrible, it’s horrible,” Francis said.

“It’s sometimes said that this is a defensive war, but sometimes I believe that it’s a war, too much, too much,” the pope said, his words faltering. “I apologize for saying this, but I don’t see steps being taken toward peace.”

Francis added that he spoke every day to a parish in Gaza where both Christians and Muslims attend its schools. “They tell me horrible stories, difficult things,” he said, adding that the Holy See had been working to help mediate a cease-fire.

Francis’s views on abortion and migration were nothing new. But they became particularly relevant in the context of the coming elections in the United States, in which both are central issues.

“Both are against life: the one that throws out migrants and the one that kills children,” Francis said.

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