Steve Burns

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON – (WMAL) Leadership at Washington’s National Cathedral has decided to take down two panes of stained glass honoring Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The vote by the Cathedral Chapter Tuesday night came after two years of debate and outreach, a spokesman said.

Stone carvings that accompany the windows are being covered as well, according to National Cathedral spokesman Kevin Eckstrom.

“What became clear over that process, after listening to a number of voices, doing a lot of research, and having a lot of discussions, was that the windows could not stay as they were in the Cathedral,” Eckstrom said.

The events in Charlottesville added an “exclamation point” to the discussion, Eckstrom said.

For now, the Cathedral is not sure what will be going in to replace the Lee and Jackson windows, but those windows will be staying in the Cathedral’s possession.

“We’re hoping to find a second life for them here at the Cathedral,” Eckstrom said. “We know that there might be people who are disappointed, but what we are hoping is that the larger work, the more important work about talking about racial justice and racial reconciliation, and what God’s calling to us in this day and age, that that’s ultimately more important than two panes of glass.”

The National Cathedral is the second-largest church building in the country. It often hosts events of national importance, like presidential funerals and interfaith ceremonies around swearings-in.

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