US Republican Presidential candidate Chris Christie says his views on same-sex marriage have evolved and cites recent statements by the Pope as evidence that the Catholic Church is changing too.
Christie, who served as New Jersey’s Governor from 2010 until 2018 is one of the many candidates seeking the Republican Presidential nomination for the 2024 election. In a recent two hall meeting he declared his views on marriage equality have changed over time.
“And so you know, for me, it’s still, it was a process I had to go through to change the way I’ve been raised both from a family perspective and what my mother and father taught me and felt and also from a religious perspective and […] what my church taught me to believe,” he said.
The Presidential hopeful added; “Pope Francis is now allowing blessings of same-sex couples; even the Church is changing.”
Christie’s comments that were made on the campaign trail in New Hampshire were reported by the Catholic News Agency.
“Society has changed and what people are accepting in our country now is different than when I was growing up, certainly than when I was your age. And you know I don’t have any objection to it any longer. In the end, I think I’ve been convinced.”
Last month Pope Francis signed off on a declaration that said it was acceptable for priests to give “spontaneous pastoral blessing” for same-sex couples and other couples in “irregular situations”.
Christie is one of six candidates vying for the party’s nomination alongside former President Donald Trump, incumbent Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Governor of South Carolina and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
Candidates will get their first indication of voter support when the Iowa caucuses meet on 15th January and the New Hampshire primary is conducted on 23rd January.
Polling for the New Hampshire vote released in late December shows former President Donald Trump has 33 per cent of the support, while Nikki Haley is not far behind with 29 per cent of the support of those polled. Chris Christie earned 13 per cent of the support, while Ron DeSantis has just 6 per cent.
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