Catholic and evangelical leaders are expressing outrage at what they say is anti-Christian bigotry by Hillary Clinton and her campaign following the WikiLeaks release of emails from the account of Clinton’s current campaign manager John Podesta.

Podesta’s account shows that in February of 2012, he and Sandy Newman, president of Voices for Progress discussed how to “plant the seeds of revolution” within the Catholic Church, particularly at a time when Catholic bishops were expressing their opposition to the HHS contraceptive mandate in Obamacare.

Newman told Podesta, “There needs to be a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a middle ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic church.”

Podesta responded the Progressive movement has already “created” two leftwing organizations – Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Catholics United – “for a moment like this.”

Yet another email thread revealed Podesta and Clinton staffers Jennifer Palmieri and John Halpin attacking Christians.

Catholic conservative leader Frank Cannon, president at American Principles Project, released the following statement after these revelations emerged:

Hillary Clinton’s anti-religious freedom policies aim to segregate people of faith away from the public square. This is the implicit goal of progressive policies like President Obama’s HHS mandate and the so-called ‘Equality Act’. Given these radical, anti-religious positions, it’s not a shock to find out that Clinton’s top staffers hold bigoted, anti-Christian views.

“These nasty comments were not directed solely at Catholics. Clinton staffers openly mocked Evangelical Christians as well,” Cannon continues, and adds:

It is also concerning that John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman, is attempting to divide the Catholic Church through a series of front groups, which aim to pit Catholic against Catholic by encouraging practicing Catholics to deny Catholic doctrine. This is despicable. These e-mails reveal a bigoted, anti-Christian attitude held by those who will be managing the day-to-day activities of our country if Hillary Clinton is elected. Catholics and Evangelicals should keep this in mind as they head to the voting booth in November.

Ashley McGuire, senior fellow with The Catholic Association, said voters of faith can see the “disdain for religious liberty” in the Clinton campaign’s rhetoric. She said in a statement sent to Breitbart News:

The blatant disdain for and mockery of Catholics and Evangelicals in leaked emails from the highest levels of the Clinton campaign is sadly unsurprising. Let’s not forget that Hillary Clinton has said that religious beliefs “have to be changed” and conform to the Left’s radical agenda. She has made her disdain for religious liberty and faith-based voters clear, and promises an administration that would only perpetuate the attacks on conscience rights of the last eight years. Catholic voters notice her campaign’s harsh words for their faith and should consider themselves lucky to have seen a preview of how a Clinton presidency would treat them.

McGuire notes Clinton stated last April that “deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs have to be changed” in order to make abortion more favorable and acceptable.

Other Catholic and Evangelical leaders have joined together to “express our outrage at the demeaning and troubling rhetoric used by those within Secretary Clinton’s campaign – and those associated with the campaign to describe our communities.”

In a press release, the Christian leaders describe the Clinton campaign anti-Christian rhetoric as “inexcusable,” “shameful,” and “un-American.”

They continue:

Historically, Evangelicals and Catholics have had significant theological differences, dating back to the Protestant Reformation. In spite of those differences there has been a mutual respect for one another and an ability to work together on important issues of mutual concern. The WikiLeaks emails reveal a contempt for all traditional Christians, and we are – Catholic and Evangelical – united in our outrage and united in our call for Mrs. Clinton to immediately apologize for the Christophobic behavior of her associates. Signed, Alex-St. James Andrea Lafferty Andresen Blom Bill Millis Bob Feathers Bob McEwen Bob Williamson Carlton Smith Charles Mifsud Cheryl Blakely Colin Hanna Dan Cummins Dean Nelson Don Browstein Dallas Eggemeyer Darrell Scott Dave Durell Deacon Keith Fournier Denver Sallee Diana L. Banister Diane Gramley Dix Winston, III Donn S. Chapman Don Wehr Donovan Larkins Richard Land Edward Mallonee Elaine Donnelly Everett Piper, PhD Everett Spencer Gabriel R. Llanes Gary Dull Gary L. Bauer Jack Graham James Dobson, PhD James Lafferty James Robison Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D. Jeff Haygood Jentezen Franklin Jerry A. Johnson, Ph.D. Jim Garlow John Zmirak Joseph Cella Kelly Monroe Kullberg Kevin Freeman Linda Cattani Lou Murray Louis P. Sheldon Jane Richey Marilyn Crisafi Mathew D. Staver Matt Schlapp Maureen Bravo Michael J. Bowen Michael Phillips Michele Bachmann Mike Evans Molly Smith Pastor Dale Walker Pastor Mark Burns Paul Zeltwanger Paula White Ralph Reed Richard Saccone Robert Jeffress Peter Hwang Robert Morris Ronnie Floyd Bryan Hickox Sam Casey Samuel Rodriguez Sandy Rios Sealy Yates Steve Mosher Steve Reiter Sue Means Ted Baehr Terry Beatley Terry Clark Tim Wildmon William A. Estrada, Esq. Rodney Howard Brown Don Colbert Mary Colbert Perry Stone

Louisville Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, also condemned the Clinton campaign attacks.

Catholics “expect public officials to respect the rights of people to live their faith without interference from the state,” Kurtz said. “When faith communities lose this right, the very idea of what it means to be an American is lost.”