US Election 2024: Pope Francis criticises Trump and Harris on migrant and abortion rights

Speaking during a press conference on the papal plane on Friday, Pope Francis criticised former US President Donald Trump’s anti-migrant policies and Vice President Kamala Harris’ support for abortion rights as both being “against life”.

“One must choose the lesser of 2 evils … That lady or that gentleman?,” said Francis, referring to Trump and Harris. Both politicians are running in the US presidential election race, the former president as a Republican nominee and the other as a Democratic nominee.

Francis has been more vocal about politics than his predecessors and has moved to make the Catholic Church more open. He has also insisted that abortion cannot be isolated from other issues concerning human life, including immigration.

US election 2024: Catholic voters have different opinions

Illegal migration, abortion and climate change could significantly influence the results of the US presidential election in November. In 2016, Pope Francis criticised then-presidential candidate Trump’s plan to prevent migrants from crossing the US-Mexico border.

Francis has criticised couples choosing to have pets instead of children. Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, is a converted Catholic and has also derided women without kids as “childless cat ladies”, according to a report in CNN.

52% of Catholic registered voters describe themselves as being or leaning Republican and 44% say they are or lean Democrat. In 2020, 50% of Catholic voters cast their votes for Biden and 49% supported Trump. But a majority of Catholics believe in abortion rights.