Did The Pope Just Endorse A U.S. Presidential Candidate?

Francis visits a favela in Brazil during World Youth Day 2013. Source: Tânia Rêgo/ABr, CC BY 3.0 BR <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/br/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons

On the face of it, the answer is “no.” But if you dig a little deeper into what the leader of the Catholic Church is reported to have said, you might begin to wonder.

Several media outlets on Friday, September 13, 2024, reported Pope Francis said regarding the upcoming U.S. presidential election, “Not voting is ugly. It is not good. You must vote.” As to who you should vote for, Francis said, “You must choose the lesser evil. Who is the lesser evil? That lady, or that gentleman? I don’t know. Everyone, in conscience, (has to) think and do this.”

Sounds perfectly reasonable, right? Maybe he was taking a page out of Patrick Mahomes and Caitlin Clark, both of whom avoided endorsing either candidate and simply reminded people they should vote.

But the Pope did something those two sports stars didn’t. He declared both candidates “evil.” He said, “Both are against life.” That’s why he believes they’re both evil.

Now, if you just read that last statement from the Pope (and many did because it was initially reported as a headline statement), you might think he said this because he believes both candidates are pro-abortion. If you recall, a few weeks ago Trump said he disagreed with Florida’s very stark proposed law on restricting abortions. Many pro-lifers complained about the former President’s stance. Was the Pope one of them?

Apparently not. Pope Francis said of Harris’s position in favor of abortion, “[Abortion] is killing a human being. It is an assassination. On these things we must speak clearly. No ‘but’ or ‘however.’” OK, that’s pretty definitive. It’s also pretty strong.

With Trump, however, the Pope decries his policy against illegal immigration. The Pontiff said, “Not giving welcome to migrants is a sin. It is grave.” Francis believes immigration is “a right.” In his interpretation, the Bible demands that society must care for all orphans, widows and foreigners.

The Holy See then summarized his declaration by stating, “Whether it is the one who is chasing away migrants, or the one who that kills children, both are against life.”

To repeat, on the face of it, it doesn’t appear that he is endorsing either candidate. But if you read between the lines, he may have just endorsed Trump by inviting people to contemplate which is the greater evil. He even defines the terms under which you must consider this question: “You must choose the lesser evil.”

This reminds me of those sometimes annoying hypothetical questions philosophy majors would snidely ask at the dinner table in the college dining hall. You know the kind I’m talking about. It’s something akin to “A priest, a rabbi, and a pastor are stranded on a lifeboat surrounded by hungry sharks. The boat can only hold two people. Who gets thrown overboard?”

Those questions always irked me. For one, their structure has become cliché. Second, they lack practical usefulness.

The Pope’s poser, however, has some teeth. He presents a classic hypothetical dichotomy within the context of the ultimate practical decision. You are choosing the person who will lead you and your country for the next four years.

To analyze his challenge, we must set aside our own feelings (directly the opposite of what he suggests, by the way) and accept his assumptions. In other words, we must assume that both abortion and halting illegal immigration represent mortal sins. In theory, he’s implying a mortal sin is a mortal sin. There’s no difference between the two acts. They are both unequivocally bad.

Yet, at the same time, he’s telling us we have no choice but to pick one. He’s saying we have to vote. There’s no avoiding the ballot box. We have a moral obligation to vote, even if both choices are evil. He’s ordering us to pick between the two evils. But he’s saying more than that. He said to pick the “lesser” evil.

By using the word “lesser,” he’s further suggesting that the normal view of “all mortal sins are equally bad” isn’t practical. He’s telling us some evils are more evil than others. He’s not saying which ones are more evil. He’s just saying greater evil exists. He puts the onus of determining the distinction on you.

That, by the way, represents the hallmark of a skilled teacher. The Pope isn’t giving you the answer, he’s guiding you to find the answer yourself. By going through this process on your own, he’s making you consider important spiritual matters. He also knows that, in doing this, you will become more committed in your actions and more committed in your beliefs.

Granted, he hopes you make the right decision. He certainly believes there is a correct decision, despite what his “official” words appear to indicate. He wouldn’t be the Pope if he didn’t know the greater evil. He just doesn’t want to bias your analysis. That’s why he’s said, “Who is the lesser evil? That lady, or that gentleman? I don’t know. Everyone, in conscience, (has to) think and do this.” It’s like he’s telling you, “You’re an adult. You can figure this out by yourself.”

Still, he provides you a clue as to what he believes is the greater evil. Sure, he said, “both are against life.” It’s in his definition of each sin, however, that he gives you his answer as to whether being for abortion or against illegal immigration is the greater evil. He calls abortion “killing a human being. It is an assassination. On these things we must speak clearly. No ‘but’ or ‘however.’” In other words, it’s murder, plain and simple.

Regarding immigration, Francis reminded us God commands us to “love thy neighbor.” Failure to do so means committing a “grave sin.” In essence, we’d be devaluing their lives. It’s not quite murder, but it’s definitely “not Christian” (which is how the Pope described it in 2016 when he previously challenged Trump’s policies on the subject).

The bottom line is this: Pope Francis believes we must unconditionally love and care for all, both the unborn and the less fortunate. To do otherwise is evil. In the American election, we must choose the “lesser evil.”

In essence, the leader of the Catholic Church is telling you the choice is between not letting people into our country or not letting people into our world.

It’s up to you to determine which is the greater evil.