This election season, it seems that our country is divided. The two candidate’s polarizing beliefs have caused our people to pick a side and to die on it. As a Catholic community, it is important to connect with our faith when managing this tumultuous time. 

Though the Pope and the Catholic Church tend to stay non-partisan to honor the separation of Church and state, Pope Francis did in fact make a small statement surrounding the election. According to the National Catholic Reporter, Pope Francis said that it was important to “choose the lesser evil.” Both candidates held policies that go against the Church’s beliefs and teachings, and Pope Francis acknowledges that and claims that it is dependent on one’s conscience to choose the lesser evil. 

However, Pope Francis urged that the most important thing is to vote. According to NCR, Pope Francis claims that “not voting is ugly, it’s not good,” and that “one must vote.” Many AHA seniors got to exercise their voting rights for the first time this year, in a truly historic election.