The dean of Washington's National Cathedral has called for removing two stained glass windows depicting the Confederate battle flag, saying it is a painful reminder to many African-Americans of the country's legacy of slavery.
A spokesman for the landmark Episcopal church in the U.S. capital said on Friday officials would begin considering the Rev. Gary Hall's appeal immediately.
The Confederate battle flag has become the focus of national soul-searching over race relations in the aftermath of last week's massacre of nine African-Americans in a landmark Charleston, South Carolina, church. The young white man charged with the killings posed with the flag on a website that featured a racist screed.
The two windows show images of the battle flag of the pro-slavery Confederate states that rebelled against the federal government in the Civil War of 1860-65. The panes include images of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee, two prominent Confederate generals.
“It is time to take those windows out," Hall said in a statement. "Here, in 2015, we know that celebrating the lives of these two men, and the flag under which they fought, promotes neither healing nor reconciliation, especially for our African-American sisters and brothers."
Hall, who plans to give a sermon about the stained glass windows on Sunday, has asked the church to replace them with contemporary images that would better represent the history of race, slavery, and division in the United States.
The windows, which measure 53 inches by 101 inches (135 cm by 257 cm), were designed by artist Wilbur H. Burnham to represent the healing of the nation after the Civil War. They were installed in 1953.
Since 1907, the Neo-Gothic cathedral has been used for state funerals for three presidents and a number of presidential prayer services. It has also hosted services for noted diplomats and dignitaries.
The cathedral’s facilities and fine arts committee and the board of directors will decide whether to remove the windows.
A decision could take months.
Hall's appeal follows action by a number of institutions to distance themselves from images of the Confederate flag after the Charleston killings.
South Carolina lawmakers will debate a measure to remove the banner from the State House grounds. The U.S. National Park Service began removing Confederate flag merchandise from its bookstores and gift shops.
Amazon.com, Wal-Mart Stores and eBay, among other retailers, said they will stop selling depictions of the flag.
