Catholics for Choice Responds to Pope Francis Comments about Trump, Harris, and the 2024 Election
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 13, 2024
CONTACT: Ashley Wilson, Strategic Communications Advisor
PHONE: 202-294-4081
EMAIL: media@catholicsforchoice.org
Catholics for Choice Responds to Pope Francis Comments about Trump, Harris, and the 2024 Election
WASHINGTON -— Catholics for Choice today responded to comments from Pope Francis about Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, referring to the 2024 election as a race between “the lesser of two evils” with a statement from Ashley Wilson, Catholics for Choice strategic communications advisor:
“Catholics for Choice, like the Catholic Church, is a 501c3 organization and therefore cannot endorse candidates, but we feel compelled to speak out after reports today that Pope Francis weighed into the 2024 U.S. presidential election and said, ‘Who is the lesser of two evils? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know.’
“For years, the Catholic hierarchy has preached that to be a Catholic voter, one must be aligned with a particular party and a particular issue. But Pope Francis has lamented the singular focus on one issue, clearly stating that a ‘new balance’ was needed among the church’s teachings.
“In citing the choice between the ‘lesser of two evils,’ Pope Francis framed the U.S. election as a choice between immigration or abortion policies. To distill voters’ choice down to abortion or immigration is categorically wrong. In his apostolic exhortation, Gaudete et Exultate, Pope Francis himself said, ‘Equally sacred are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned, and the underprivileged.’ Catholic voters would do well to follow Pope Francis’s prior advice rather than his present advice and evaluate all candidates based on a justice-minded view of the world that looks beyond a singular issue.
“We are also concerned that Pope Francis’s comments, calling both candidates ‘evil’ will be used to dissuade voters from participating in this election. In reality, Catholic social teaching calls us to participation, and in a democracy like the United States, that means voting.
“To that end, Catholics for Choice is proud to announce the launch of Catholic Social Justice in the Voting Booth: a 2024 Toolkit (English and Spanish). Our hope is that this resource will provide Catholic voters with a first-of-its-kind overview of pro-choice Catholicism and opportunities for discernment this election.
“Our jobs, as Catholic voters, are to vote whenever possible and participate in our democracy. If we are committed to Catholic social justice, we must help create safe, healthy communities that make it possible for everyone to freely choose when, whether, and how to raise their families. Voting is one of the most powerful tools we have.”
###
Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a person’s well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives.
