"One must choose the lesser of two evils," said Pope Francis when asked to share his views on the U.S. presidential election.

"Both of them are against life"

During a press conference that took place on the papal plane on Sep. 13 (Sep. 14 Singapore time), Pope Francis slammed both presidential hopefuls Harris and Trump.

In a video by CNN,  the pope was quoted saying, "Both of them are against life."

One "throws out migrants", while the other "kills children".

The Catholic Church holds the view that abortion is murder.

Referring to the topic of immigration, he also explained that sending away migrants, not allowing them to work and not sheltering them is a "sin".

But who is lesser of two evils?

To that, he answered: "I don't know."

Americans voting in this upcoming election will have to make a decision between these two candidates, he said.

A video of the press conference with English translations is making the rounds online:

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Apart from the U.S. presidential election, the Pope also addressed questions about clerical sex abuse, Vatican-China dialogue and the war in Gaza.

What happened during the presidential debate

Pope Francis' comments came after the first presidential debate between former U.S. president Donald Trump and vice president Kamala Harris took place just days ago, on Sep. 11 (Singapore time).

Both Trump and Harris debated on the issues of abortion, as well as immigration policy during the first presidential debate.

Regarding immigrants, Trump accused Haitian migrants in Ohio of eating people's pets.

He also accused the Biden/ Harris administration of allowing criminals and terrorists to enter the country.

As for Harris, she is known for opposing the national ban on abortion, with a major theme of her campaign centred around reproductive rights.

The Democrats have long been associated with the pro-choice side of the debate.

Top photo by Vatican Media/Facebook, Donald Trump & Kamala Harris Facebook pages.