The great Thomas Sowell stated that there are no perfect solutions, there are only trade-offs. That goes for people as well as policies.

As always, and perhaps especially in 2024, Americans are faced with a choice between two imperfect candidates running for the highest office in the land. They both have records. One has a record as a businessman, a real-estate developer, and POTUS. The other has a record as a lawyer, attorney general, senator, and VP. Both have made a great many public statements on a wide variety of topics so their positions should be clear.

These positions diverge widely which reflects the widening gap among the general public. Roughly 3/4 of the American public consider their religious beliefs to hold some degree of importance in their lives, and despite that, we see people of faith on both sides of the divide. Religious leaders, especially among American Catholics, are becoming increasingly vocal.

On October 18, Pope Francis advised U.S. voters to choose between the lesser of two evils. He accused both Trump and Harris of being "against life"; Trump with his immigration policies and Harris with her position on abortion.

“One must choose the lesser of two evils. Who is the lesser of two evils? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know.” This Catholic finds that statement astonishing. Even a cursory examination of where these two individuals stand on the issues is enough to clear up that confusion. Does he see no difference between enforcing legitimate immigration policies and the deliberate destruction of innocent human life? 

He seems to, because he went on to say "…to have an abortion is to kill a human being. Whether or not you like the word, it is killing," the pope said. "The Catholic Church does not allow abortion because it is killing."

In what has become a familiar pattern for him, Pope Francis then confuses the issue. He said that both Trump and Harris "…are against life: the one who wants to throw out the migrants and the one who kills children," the pope said. "Both are against life." In the Old Testament, he said, “God's people are repeatedly reminded to care for 'widows, orphans and the stranger,' that is, the migrant. They are the three that the People of Israel must protect. The one who does not care for migrants is lacking; it is a sin."

It is unclear if the Pope was referring to or recognizes the difference between migrants and illegal immigrants.

He may have forgotten what he said in January of 2022. "Each country has a right to control its borders -- who enters and who leaves -- and countries that are in danger of terrorism or the like, have more right to control them more."

A few days later on October 22, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano published an open letter to American Catholics. Archbishop Vigano is no stranger to controversy. He's been openly critical of Pope Francis, who later imposed severe sanctions on him. Vigano remains undeterred from expressing his opinions on worldly affairs and his letter serves as dire warning to American Catholics. In his letter he acknowledges Trump's shortcomings on the issues of abortion and IVF but recognizes his commitment to protecting the fundamental freedoms of citizens.

He accuses Kamala Harris and the Democrat party of promoting policies that directly oppose the faith and morals of the Catholic Church. Vigano accuses them of considering all Christians to be fundamentalists who need to be marginalized. He says that voting for Harris is morally inadmissible and constitutes grave sin and goes so far as to call her "an infernal monster who obeys Satan." Given her positions on abortion and "gender transition surgeries" he may not be that far off the mark.

The former Archbishop of St. Louis, now Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke advised American Catholics to pray "...for those who are threatened by the present prevalent anti-life, anti-family, and anti-religion agenda, by obedience to the moral law." He said we should also pray for "...the conversion of our national culture from violence and death to peace and life."

Cardinal Burke also recognized Trump's imperfect position on abortion but acknowledged that he would not approve of abortion at a federal level and would defund Planned Parenthood. He said, “If a candidate will, at least, limit the evil, we must support the limitation while insisting on the need to eradicate the evil altogether.”

Over 155 million Americans voted in 2020. A recent survey revealed that perhaps 19 million Catholics may not vote in 2024. It is to be hoped that those Catholics, as well as mainstream Protestants, Evangelicals, Jews, Muslims, and all others who respect life and value liberty, freedom and prosperity will heed these shepherds, consider their moral and civic obligations to their country and vote for the candidates who will protect them and their families.

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