ANKARA

Saying that both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are “against life," Pope Francis called on US Catholic voters to choose the "lesser evil" in the US presidential election this fall, said media reports.

Speaking to reporters on Friday on his return flight from a 12-day southeast Asian tour, in rare political comments, Francis criticized both candidates' policies on immigrants and support for abortion rights.

“Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ the BBC quoted him as saying, mentioning no names but clearing referring to Trump, who has vowed to deport millions of immigrants if he is elected on Nov. 5, and Harris, an outspoken pro-choice candidate on the abortion issue.

Trump is anti-abortion, while Harris favors a legal path to citizenship for immigrants who are in the US illegally, not mass deportation.

Francis urged American voters to cast ballots, saying "not voting is ugly."

"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," he said.

Francis concluded his southeast Asian tour on Friday in Singapore and returned to Rome. Over the past two weeks, the pontiff also visited Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia, his longest international trip since his papacy began in 2013.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid