The dean of the National Cathedral in Washington DC has said that he wants to remove stained glass windows with the Confederate flag on them from the famous house of worship.

The stained glass windows in question are panels depicting the lives of Confederate generals Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson, which also bear the Confederate battle flag.

The symbol has faced calls for removal throughout the country following the shooting of nine people at a historically black church in South Carolina.

Episcopal Reverend Gary Hall preaches at the National Cathedral, which is designated by Congress as the National House of Prayer, and said 'It is time to take those windows out'.

He referenced the shooting committed by racist gunman Dylann Roof and said that the Confederate flag had become the 'primary symbol of those who advocate white supremacy'.

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The dean of the National Cathedral in Washington DC has called for windows including the lives of Confederate generals and the Confederate battle flag to be removed from his church

Episcopal Reverend Gary Hall preaches at the National Cathedral and says that the Confederate flag has become the 'primary symbol of those who advocate white supremacy'

The Confederate flag is seen on the stained glass panels dedicated to the lives of Robert E Lee (left) and Stonewall Jackson (right). The two Southern generals are praised as 'exemplary Christian people'

The windows were supposedly put up in 1953 as an effort to bring reconciliation to different parts of the country involved in the Civil War.

However, he now says that the Confederate flag 'promotes neither healing nor reconciliation, especially for our African-American sisters and brothers'.

The panels, which are supposed to help tell the 'story of America', also feature soldiers and say that Confederate leaders Jackson and Lee were 'exemplary Christian people,' according to NPR.

'I do not believe Washington National Cathedral will be able to lead an American faith community conversation about race while our building enshrines representations of what has become the primary symbol of white supremacy in America,' he said in a statement.

It is not know what image would replace the Confederate panels, though Hall called for 'kind of contemporary stained glass windows could adequately represent the history of race, slavery, and division in America'.

The dean, who spoke about the flags during his sermon on Sunday, also said that race relations should be moved to the top of the cathedral's 'programmatic agenda'.

The panels were installed in 1953 Hall said he wants new panels that can 'adequately represent the history of race, slavery, and division in America'. Above, the National Cathedral in 1960

The dean said that he felt shame that he did not realize that his church had the Confederate flag depicted until after he received messages asking what he would do about it

A renewed focus on race relations has followed a string of recent police shootings of unarmed black men and the most recent shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, which is being investigated as domestic terrorism.

Some observers were outraged after a Confederate flag outside the South Carolina statehouse was still flying at full mast after the shootings because of state laws governing how it is moved.

Governor Nikki Haley called for it to be removed, though the state legislature has not yet acted on the request.

Confederate flag merchandise has also been removed from Wal-Mart stores as well as online retailers such as Amazon.

Hall told CBS News that he didn't even know the National Cathedral had depictions of the flag until he received letters asking what he would do about them.

'I didn't know they were here,' he said. 'And shame on me for that'.

He said that he wants the Confederate windows preserved as part of a historical display.