The Washington National Cathedral said Thursday it will remove the Confederate flag from two of its stained glass windows.
The flags are to be excised from the windows depicting Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson and replaced with plain glass.
The decision follows a report from the cathedral’s “windows task force” that determined that the current design of the windows run contrary to the cathedral’s mission.
“The Confederate battle flag — whatever its history — has become, for many Americans, an image of hatred and racial supremacy. As such, it represents values in direct opposition to the gospel of Christ and the Cathedral’s mission,” the cathedral said in a statement.
The cathedral is determining a timeline and cost for the removal, which will be paid for by private donors.
“Instead of simply taking the windows down and going on with business as usual, the Cathedral recognizes that, for now, they provide an opportunity for us to begin to write a new narrative on race and racial justice at the Cathedral and perhaps for our nation,” the statement said.
The Washington National Cathedral is located in Northwest Washington and often serves as a national place of mourning.
