Christie was the governor of New Jersey from January 2010 to January 2018. When running for governor in 2009, he supported civil unions in New Jersey but said he would veto any bill legalizing gay marriage.
In 2013, Christie spoke out against the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman. He called the ruling “a bad decision” and an example of “judicial supremacy.”
In 2015 he said that he thought legalizing gay marriage should be decided by individual states, according to the New York Times.
Christie’s comments regarding Pope Francis and same-sex blessings are a reference to Fiducia Supplicans, a document from the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published Dec. 18.
That declaration on Church doctrine said that “blessings are among the most widespread and evolving sacramentals” and that it is possible to give “blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex.”
The declaration clearly states that the Church’s teaching on marriage between one man and one woman has not changed and emphasizes that such blessings should “never” occur within the ceremony of a civil union “and not even in connection with them” to avoid confusion or scandal.