Pope says abortion is "murder" but U.S. bishops should not be political

Pope Francis speaks to the media on board an Alitalia aircraft enroute from Bratislava's Milan Rastislav Stefanik International airport in Bratislava, Slovakia, back to Rome, September 15, 2021. Tiziana Fabi/Pool via REUTERS

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Wednesday that abortion is "murder", even soon after conception, but appeared to criticise some U.S. Catholic bishops for dealing with U.S. President Joe Biden's pro-choice position in a political rather than pastoral way.

On the flight returning from Slovakia, Francis was asked for his opinion about the debate within the U.S. Bishops Conference, about whether Biden, who is Catholic, should be denied communion because of his support for a woman's right to choose even though he is personally against abortion.