Pope Francis Calls Harris and Trump "Both Against Life" For Abortion, Immigration Stances

Pope Francis weighed in on the American presidential election on Friday, saying voters "must choose the lesser of two evils" as he condemned Democrat Kamala Harris' support for abortion and Republican Donald Trump's support for immigration restriction.

Key Quote: "To send migrants away, to leave them wherever you want, to leave them… it’s something terrible, there is evil there," Francis said during a mid-flight press conference. "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."

For Context: Since becoming pope in 2013, Francis has often been an outspoken advocate for progress in the Catholic Church. He has allowed the blessing of same-sex couples, urged action on climate change, and criticized immigration alarmism in Europe. However, some of his stances align with conservative values, including opposition to gender transition surgeries; he has enabled priests to forgive abortions but still considers them a "grave sin."

How the Media Covered It: Catholic News Agency (Right bias) wrote misleadingly that Harris "has made abortion without legal restrictions the centerpiece of her presidential campaign." Harris has not declared support for unrestricted abortion. CNN (Lean Left) listed Francis' liberal positions, but also tied a past comment about people who raise pets in place of children to Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance's "childless cat ladies" remark. Forbes (Center) noted that 75% of U.S. Catholics have a favorable view of Pope Francis, "an 8% decrease since 2021."