Pope Francis said American Catholics should vote for the "lesser evil" in the upcoming US presidential elections after stating that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are both "against life," according to media reports.

“Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ the BBC reported, citing the pope.

Although the head of the Catholic Church did not directly state their names, he was referring to Trump's vow of deporting millions of immigrants if he is re-elected into office, as well as Harris' pro-abortion policies.

The two candidates oppose the other's policies. While Trump is anti-abortion, Harris aims to legalize citizenship for illegal immigrants in the US rather than resort to mass deportation.

Francis urged Americans to exercise their right, asserting "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.

Pope Francis calls Israeli bombings of schools 'ugly'

Over the weekend, the pope has taken a political stance in both US and international politics and issues.

Upon his return flight from Singapore, Pope Francis on Friday condemned the deaths of Palestinian children in Gaza caused by Israeli airstrikes, criticizing the bombings of schools under the excuse of targeting Hamas strongholds as "ugly."

He mentioned that he holds conversations with a Catholic parish in Gaza on a daily basis and that "they tell me ugly things, difficult things". 

"Please, when you see the bodies of killed children when you see that, under the presumption that some guerrillas are there, a school is bombed, this is ugly," the 87-year-old pontiff said.

The pope has consistently advocated for a ceasefire in the embattled Strip. Reflecting on the scale of the ongoing genocide, he remarked that the war has become "too much."