NEW YORK (CWNews.com) - Senate candidate and First Lady Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that she was "appalled" and "outraged" at comments by her Republican opponent, New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, that accuses her of having "hostility toward America's religious traditions."

    Giuliani made the remarks in a letter sent out months ago to potential supporters and donors that said Clinton showed her contempt for religion by defending a Brooklyn museum that presented a painting of the Virgin Mary composed of elephant dung and pornographic photos.

    "In the minds of left-wing activists like Hillary Clinton, I guess it's okay to use taxpayer funds to subsidize religious expression so long as it involves the desecration of religious symbols," Giuliani wrote. He also referred to "the 30-year war" waged by the left-wing in the courts against religion.

    A visibly angry Clinton said in Rochester, New York, that the letter is an outrage. "As a person of faith, I am appalled that he would make false statements about me and my respect for religion in order to raise money for his campaign," she said.