U.S. Sarah Palin apologizes for remarks on Pope Francis

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Sarah Palin apologized for her recent comments about Pope Francis and what she viewed as his "liberal statements."

"It was not my intention to be critical of Pope Francis," Palin wrote Thursday on Facebook, in reference to an interview earlier this week on CNN. "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."

Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, said Tuesday on CNN that Pope Francis has made "some statements that to me sound kind of liberal, has taken me aback, has kind of surprised me." She didn't specify her concerns, but she added that "unless I really dig deep into what his messaging is and do my own homework, I'm not going to just trust what I hear in the media."

Pope Francis surprised many people when he said the Catholic Church has been "obsessed" with issues such as gay marriage and abortion and sometimes "locked itself up in small things." His comments were made in an interview published in September by several Jesuit magazines.

In her Facebook post, Palin said she's been assured by Catholic friends and family that Pope Francis "is as sincere and faithful a shepherd of his church."

"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," she said.

Palin has been promoting her new book, Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas.

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