“Choose the lesser evil” is the advice that the Pope has given to Catholics in the United States in reaction to his censure of both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
It was on Friday that Pope Francis made the surprise intervention in the election that was taking place in the United States. He was travelling from Singapore to Rome at the time.
In spite of the fact that he was critical of Vice President Harris for her position in favour of abortion rights, he referred to the practice as a “assassination.” In addition to this, he added that the desire of President Trump to deport millions of immigrants was a “grave” sin.
Following that, Francis exhorted Catholics in the United States to “choose the lesser evil” when they went to the polls in November to cast their votes.
The subject was not discussed in any further detail by him.
During his twelve-day trip, Pope Francis travelled throughout Southeast Asia and Oceania, and he made these statements after his return. He argued that both contenders for the presidency of the United States of America have policies that are “against life.” He was an opponent of both candidates.
In his speech, he did not specifically name either Senator Harris or President Trump; rather, he made direct references to the policies that they advocated and the genders that they represented. On the other hand, he did remark that Catholics ought to make use of their fundamental right to vote.
“It is a very ugly thing to not vote,” the 87-year-old observed, referring to the situation. It is not a pleasant thing to do. You are obligated to cast your vote.
Choose the alternative that will cause the least amount of harm. Which of these two evils is the lesser of two? That lady or that gentleman might be the one in question. My goodness, I have no idea.”
He closed his remarks by saying: “Both are against life, be it the one that kicks out migrants, or the one that kills children,”
Ms. Harris has pledged that she will ratify any legislation that Congress passes to reestablish national protections for abortion access. It has been two years since the Supreme Court of the United States struck down these provisions.
During this interim period, President Trump has declared that he intends to take measures to restrict illegal immigration and deport millions of immigrants who are currently residing in the United States during his administration.
Another possibility that he has not completely disregarded is the development of detention camps for immigrants who are not permitted to be in the country.
The Catholic population in the United States is about 52 million strong, making them a large voting bloc. This demographic is spread out across the country.
One in every five adults in critical battleground states, such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are members of the Catholic Church, according to estimates. These states include Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Generally speaking, the Pope is cautious when it comes to voicing his view on political elections; however, he has consistently expressed his opposition of abortion, which is a procedure that is legally forbidden by the Catholic religion.
On the other hand, he has demonstrated a history of criticising Mr. Trump’s anti-immigrant remarks in the past. In particular, he asserted that Mr. Trump was “not Christian” with regard to the election that took place in 2016.