Pope Francis slams both Trump and Harris but tells Americans to vote for 'lesser of two evils'

Pope Francis on Friday slammed both major U.S. presidential candidates as "against life," because of Vice President Kamala Harris's stance on abortion, and former President Donald Trump's stance on immigration, but told Americans to choose the "lesser of two evils."

The pope, who has weighed in on politics as the head of the Catholic Church more than his recent predecessors, did not indicate which candidate was considered the "lesser of two evils." 

“To have an abortion is to kill a human being. You may like the word or not, but it’s killing,” Francis said on board the papal plane, per the Associated Press. “We have to see this clearly ... One should vote, and choose the lesser evil. Who is the lesser evil, the woman or man? I don’t know. Everyone in their conscience should think on this and do it."

The pope previously blasted Trump for his immigration policies in the 2016 presidential election, because of his desire to build a border wall. Francis claimed that anyone who did so was "not a Christian." He maintained on Friday that the former president's immigration policies were "evil," as well as maintaining Catholic teaching that abortion kills a human being.

“To send migrants away, to leave them wherever you want to leave them … it’s something terrible, there is evil there," Francis said, according to CNN. "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."

The topic of immigration has been a priority for Francis, who has visited the U.S.-Mexico border in the past. He also stated that people who do not accept migrants are committing a "grave sin," because of the Biblical emphasis on welcoming the stranger. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.