Free Republic

The Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday said it will remove stained glass windows honoring Confederate generals, saying they act as “a barrier to our important work on racial justice and racial reconciliation.” In a statement, Cathedral leaders said they’ve debated for two years whether to remove the windows honoring Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. That debate concluded Tuesday, and the Cathedral Chapter voted to remove them.

A wave of vandalism continued to mar some of Washington’s more popular landmarks Monday with at least three more attractions spattered with green paint, and authorities announced the arrest of a woman near one of the incidents at Washington National Cathedral. The latest crimes occurred three days after the Lincoln Memorial was hit in similar fashion. On Monday, the light-green paint was discovered on an organ in the cathedral’s Bethlehem Chapel, in the cathedral’s Children’s Chapel and on the granite base of a statue next to the Smithsonian Castle on the Mall. D.C. police said Monday evening that they had...

The Washington National Cathedral sustained significant damage in the earthquake that hit D.C. on Tuesday afternoon. Damage included arch displacement, cracking, falling limestone and rotating pinnacles on the Cathedral's neogothic towers. National Cathedral Head Mason Joe Alonso estimated a piece weighing about 3,000 pounds toppled from the central tower. He called the damage to that section of the Cathedral "mind boggling." A link to video of Alonso detailing the damage was tweeted by the National Cathedral on Wednesday morning. "A lot of what fell, we're fortunate that it fell in toward the roof and not out toward the streets," Alonso...

Murder in the Cathedral Sept 9, 2006 An Exclusive Pajamas Media video presentation on Iranian President Khatami’s visit to the Washington National Cathedral. Produced by Andrew Marcus with Richard Miniter. Among those interviewed are journalist Eli Lake and Amir Abbas Fakhravar, an Iranian dissident jailed during the Khatami regime. See original link for video link

Khatami, U.S.-Iran Relations National Cathedral Washington, District of Columbia (United States) ID: 194190 - 09/07/2006 - Former Iranian President Khatami spoke to reporters in the National Cathedral. Later in the day he made an address in the cathedral.

WASHINGTON - Despite intense disagreement over suspected nuclear weapons and terrorism, the Bush administration decided Tuesday to allow former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to visit the United States. A visa was granted Tuesday to Khatami and several Iranians who will accompany him on the visit early next month, said State Department spokesman Tom Casey. There will be no restrictions on his travel. Khatami plans to attend a U.N. conference Sept. 5-6, and speak at the Washington National Cathedral on Sept. 7. No meetings with U.S. officials are anticipated, Casey told reporters at a briefing. Khatami would be the most senior...

Despite a standoff...

WASHINGTON - Despite a diplomatic standoff over nuclear weapons and other difficult issues, a former Iranian president is making plans to speak next month at the Washington National Cathedral. The former president, Mohammad Khatami, would be the most senior Iranian official to visit Washington since Islamic fundamentalists seized the U.S. Embassy in 1979 and held Americans there hostage for 444 days. The Iranian Embassy in Washington closed in April 1980 and there have been no formal relations between the two countries since then, although U.S. and Iranian diplomats on some occasions have participated in multinational meetings, such as on Afghanistan....

The Washington Post reported yesterday on the installation of the Rev. Samuel Lloyd as the new dean of the Washington National Cathedral.      I am not surprised by what Rev. Lloyd said at his installation.  I am not surprised that readings from the Koran were included.  I suspect that this is a reflection of the 'new thing' that the 'spirit' (whatever that is) is doing in the Diocese of Washington.   I've been in the National Cathedral and estimate that it can seat a couple of thousand people.  The Post article said that 'hundreds' came to this installation service.  (And at...

LOVE EPISCOPAL STYLELast Sunday at Washington's National Cathedral, on the occasion of the celebration of the Baptism of Our Lord, Frank Griswold delivered a sermon that demonstrated once again that whatever his religion is, it isn't Christianity: And of course, distinctions, and differences do exist among us and are embodied in us: our cultures, our languages, our life experiences. As well, divisions exist among us based on our various points of view, some of which we create and sustain and justify out of our fear, arrogance and sinfulness. That we have such distinctions, differences, and even divisions, is neither surprising...