National Cathedral to remove 2 stained-glass windows honoring Confederate generals

WASHINGTON - The National Cathedral in Washington D.C. announced on Wednesday that it would remove two-stained glass windows that honor Confederate generals.

The church said the Cathedral Chapter voted on Tuesday to remove the windows portraying Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The windows, installed in 1953, would be removed immediately, according to the National Cathedral.

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“The Chapter believes that these windows are not only inconsistent with our current mission to serve as a house of prayer for all people, but also a barrier to our important work on racial justice and racial reconciliation,” the National Cathedral said in part of their written statement. “Their association with racial oppression, human subjugation and white supremacy does not belong in the sacred fabric of this Cathedral.”

The church said it began discussing the removal of the windows after Dylann Roof opened fire at Charleston, South Carolina's historic Mother Emmanuel AME church two years ago.

The National Cathedral said the windows would be removed, conserved and stored until it determines “a more appropriate future for them.” A replacement for the windows was still being determined, according to church officials.