Pope Francis urges US Catholics to choose the 'lesser evil' in upcoming election | News on the 2024 US election

Without mentioning the two main US presidential candidates by name, the Pope condemned abortion and immigration restrictions.

Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics in the United States to vote in November's election, saying they should “choose the lesser evil” but criticizing both leading candidates.

In a speech on Friday during the flight from Singapore to Rome, the Pope did not mention the Republican or Democratic presidential candidates by name: former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, respectively.

However, he sharply criticized their programs, saying that refusing to accept immigrants was a “grave” sin and that abortion was tantamount to an “assassination.”

“Not voting is ugly,” Francis said. “It's not good. You have to vote.”

“You have to choose the lesser evil,” he added. “Who is the lesser evil? This lady or this gentleman? I do not know. Everyone, to the best of their knowledge and belief, [has to] think and do this.”

The 87-year-old pope made the remarks as the US presidential election enters its final week, with voting scheduled for November 5. Although he takes a conservative stance on social issues such as abortion, Francis is one of the strongest critics of the increasingly restrictive immigration policies of rich countries.

“Whether it is the one who drives away migrants or the one who kills children,” the Pope said, “both are against life.”

There are about 52 million Catholics in the United States, a conservative-leaning voting bloc that is well represented in several important swing states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Polls from the Pew Research Center have found that about 52 percent of U.S. Catholics identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, compared to about 44 percent for the Democratic Party. The center noted, however, that Catholics have historically been “closely divided.”

In his comments Friday, which followed a 12-day trip through Southeast Asia and Oceania, Francis also lamented the lack of progress in reaching a peace agreement to end Israel's war in Gaza.

“Forgive me for saying this, but I don't see any progress towards peace,” he told reporters aboard the Pope's plane, adding that this week's Israeli attack on a school that killed Palestinian children was “ugly.”