Pope Francis frequently speaks of immigrants, whose rejection by Western societies he denounces, and does not fail to recall his firm opposition to abortion, which he compares to “murder”.
These two issues are at the heart of the US presidential campaign, and neither of the two candidates for the November 5 election has the support of the sovereign pontiff. Returning from an exhausting trip to Asia and Oceania, the Pope criticized Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris on Friday, September 13, for their respective positions on these issues.
Responding at length to journalists on the plane taking him from Singapore to Rome after his marathon tour – during which he addressed large crowds in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore – the head of the Catholic Church said that former President Donald Trump, with his virulent anti-migrant rhetoric, and Vice President Kamala Harris, who defends abortion rights, were back to back.
“The Pope speaks for himself,” the White House responds
” Both [candidats] They are against life. Whether it is the one who sends back immigrants or the one who kills children. Both are against life.”said. “I am not an American, I cannot vote there, but let me be clear: sending immigrants back, denying them the opportunity to work, denying them welcome, is a sin, it is serious.”
“In political morality, in general, not voting is bad. This is not right, one must vote and one must choose the lesser evil. Which is the lesser evil? This lady or this gentleman? I don’t know, everyone has their own conscience.”added the 87-year-old Argentine Jesuit.
Called for comment on these statements, the White House spokesman estimated that “The Pope speaks for himself”. “I have not spoken to the president about the Pope’s specific comments on the upcoming elections”added Karine Jean-Pierre.
