- US President Donald Trump and other prominent Americans joined mourners as the body of the late Reverend Billy Graham was laid-in-state at the Rotunda of the US Capitol building
- The honour is usually reserved for presidents; and Rosa Parks was the last non-politician to be laid-in-state at the Rotunda
- President Trump has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the White House and other US public buildings on the day the popular preacher is buried
The late Reverend Billy Graham was bestowed a rare national tribute on Wednesday, February 28, as his remains lay in honour in the US Capitol building in Washington DC, the nation’s capital, Tribune reports.
Among those who came to pay their final respects were US President Donald Trump, House speaker Paul Ryan and lawmakers, cabinet members, Graham’s relatives and everyday Americans.
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NAIJ.com gathers that a military honour guard carried Graham’s casket from a hearse up the steps for the somber ceremony, preceded by mourners who trooped quietly into the ornate Rotunda under the Capitol’s massive dome.
The US president together with his wife Melania walked to the coffin; and he tapped it a few times before walking away.
The late preacher will lie in honour in the Capitol’s Rotunda for two days; a rare privilege for private citizens.
The lying-in-state is usually reserved for US president, and civil rights icon Rosa Parks was most recent non-politician whose body lay in Rotunda in 2005. Gerald Ford was the last US president to be laid-in-state at the Rotunda.
At the ceremony, Speaker Ryan stated: “The man had such a gift for connecting with people.”
President Trump has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff at the White House and other US public buildings on the day Graham is buried.
See photos from the ceremony:
Graham's casket is pulled from the hearse by servicemen (Photo credit: USA Today)
The body of the late great preacher lies-in-state at the Rotunda (Photo credit: Toronto Star)
President Trump chats with Graham's son at the ceremony (Photo credit: NY Times)
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Recall that NAIJ.com previously reported that Reverend Billy Graham, who reportedly transformed American religious life through his preaching and activism, becoming a counselor to presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, died at the age of 99.
Graham preached at what he called his "Final Crusade" in the summer of 2005; and the three-day event in New York City was the culmination of a lifetime of evangelism, seven decades of spreading the gospel to more than 200 million people in 185 countries around the world.
Meet Port Harcourt-based Nigerian pastor who is changing the lives of the poor nationwide - on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng
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