See https://www.catholicnewsagency...-trump-catholic-vote

Speaking from the papal plane on September 13, 2024, the Pope addressed moral issues pertaining to the U.S. election this November. I will post quotes from his address then my responses.

“In political morality, in general they say that if you don’t vote, it’s not good, it’s bad. You have to vote, and you have to choose the lesser evil,” he said. “What is the lesser evil? That woman, or that man?” he continued, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris and her Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump. “I don’t know. Each one, in his or her conscience, must think and do this.”

This is an odd way to frame an election. Why not say it's a choice between two goods? Oh well, moving on . . .

“Both are anti-life — both the one who throws out migrants and the one who kills babies — both of them are against life.”

As President, Trump was actually cruel to migrants and promises to deport millions. His dehumanizing rhetoric about them is also anti-life. But Harris, as President, would not "kill babies," so it's not fair to accuse her of such. She is pro-choice, which is not the same as pro-abortion, and, at any rate, abortion is now an issue for the states to set policy. She has stated that she'd like to make the standards from Roe v. Wade into national law, but that's not likely to happen. Neither would a national ban on abortion be likely. So what we're left with is one candidate whose anti-life immigration policies will surely be implemented versus another whose pro-choice attitudes will do no harm to anyone. Easy to choose the lesser of two evils when we put it like this.

"The Holy Father’s remarks about 'the lesser evil' refers to the Church’s long-standing teaching that when faced with a choice between candidates who aren’t wholly aligned with the Church’s position on fundamental “nonnegotiable” issues — such as the sanctity of life, marriage, and religious freedom — it is permissible to cast a vote against the candidate who would do the most harm."

The Pope is clearly saying that Catholics can vote for pro-choice candidates when the alternative seems more harmful to them. It's your conscience. Learn about the issues and make up your own mind, and if anyone tells you you have to vote for Trump, tell them the Pope says you don't!

I wrote a reflection on this topic before the 2020 election and you can find it via the link below.

https://philstromain.com/files...rtion-pro-choice.pdf

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