Sarah Palin Apologizes for Remarks About Pope Francis
Sarah Palin has issued an apology for her remarks regarding Pope Francis that she made in an interview earlier this week while promoting her new book.
On a Facebook post published Thursday, the former governor of Alaska wrote that "it was not my intention to be critical of Pope Francis."
"I was reminding viewers that we need to do our own homework on news subjects, and I hadn't done mine yet on the Pope's recent comments as reported by the media," wrote Palin.
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"Knowing full well how often the media mischaracterizes a person's comments (especially a religious leader's), I don't trust them to get it right when it comes to reporting on the Vatican."
Palin added that, having talked with some of her Catholic friends and family members, she now believes the Pontiff "is as sincere and faithful a shepherd of his church as his two predecessors whom I admired."
"I apologize for not being clearer in my response, thus opening the door to critical media that does what it does best in ginning up controversy," wrote Palin.
In an interview that aired Tuesday on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper," Palin spoke about various matters regarding her recently released book, Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas.
The book focuses on Palin's Christian upbringing and beliefs, as well as looking at the alleged efforts of some to censor Christmas imagery in American culture.
When asked by Tapper about what she thought of Pope Francis, Palin responded that while she did not feel she had done enough research to make an informed conclusion, some of his comments had "surprised" her.
"I'm surprised that he came out with a couple of things in the media, but then again, I'm not one to trust the media's interpretation of somebody's message," said Palin.
"But having read--through media outlets--that he's had some statements that to me sound kind of liberal, has taken me aback."
Since becoming head of the Roman Catholic Church earlier this year, Pope Francis has garnered many headlines for his remarks regarding gay priests, social issues, atheists, "ideological Christians," and other matters.
Social liberals and many in the media have interpreted his remarks as indicating a change in Roman Catholic policy, while conservatives and Catholic writers point out that the Pontiff still enforces the Church's traditional positions.
During his interview with Palin, Tapper also asked the former vice presidential candidate if she is "born again."
"As a young girl, I remember looking around at the beauty of Alaska and the beauty of this creation, and knowing, even as a kid, wow, there is something greater than self," she explained.
Palin added that at age 12, she thought to herself, "Whomever it is that created this, certainly must know better than I, how to direct my life."
"I put my life in God's hands at that time," she added. "I remember calling out to God, and saying, 'I believe you.'"
