Sarah Palin 'taken aback' by Pope Francis's 'liberal' statements

Sarah Palin said she is trying to follow Pope Francis, but is wary of what she called the media's interpretation of his message.

"He's had some statements that to me sound kind of liberal, has taken me aback, has kind of surprised me," Palin said in an interview with CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper." But "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."

The former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate is out with a new book, “Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas,” which is one part love letter to Christmas, and one part a treatise on what is going wrong with the holiday, with atheists and others declaring war on it.

Palin is a person of faith and describes herself as “born again." She attends a non-denominational church in Alaska.

"When I was a young girl, I remember looking around the beauty of Alaska ... and knowing even as a kid, wow, there is something greater than self," said Palin.

"I put my life in God's hands at that moment," said Palin, who added she was 12 at the time. "I remember calling out to God and saying, 'I believe you.'"