Ahead of US Presidential Polls in November, Pope Francis heavily criticised former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris saying that they are both against life and it is like choosing between the lesser evil.
The 87-year-old Pope's remarks on the U.S. presidential candidates came as he overcame health concerns to engage with followers from the jungles of Papua New Guinea to the skyscrapers of Singapore. This journey was the longest in both duration and distance since he became the leader of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics over 11 years ago.
On upcoming US elections in November, he spoke about Trump's anti-immigrant policies and Harris's support for abortion rights.
"Both are against life. To send migrants away, to leave them wherever you want, to leave them ... it's something terrible, there is evil there. To send away a child from the womb of the mother is an assassination, because there is life. We must speak about these things clearly," he said.
"One has to choose the lesser of two evils. Who is the lesser evil? That lady or that gentleman? I don't know. Everyone have to think and make this decision according to their conscience," Francis said.
Meawhile, in Washington, Karine Jean-Pierre, spokeswoman for President Joe Biden -- himself a Roman Catholic -- said that "obviously the pope speaks for himself, and I don't have any more comments."
"I have not spoken to the president about the pope's specific comments on this coming election," she said.
Notably, Francis has been more outspoken on political matters compared to his predecessors, seeking to make the Catholic Church more inclusive. He has consistently upheld the Church's position against abortion, viewing it as the intentional ending of human life. Previously, Francis presented progressive stances on various political issues, such as permitting priests to forgive abortions, supporting blessings for same-sex couples, and highlighting climate change concern
(With inputs from agencies)
