Ron Galella Ltd./WireImage(WASHINGTON) — The Rev. Billy Graham’s casket arrived in a somber processional at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday as the country’s leaders gathered for a historic nod to a man of faith who many of them said impacted them personally.
“Billy Graham carried his message around the world,” President Donald Trump said, adding, “But his heart was always in America.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are also expected to participate in a remembrance ceremony.
Graham, an internationally famous Christian evangelist, died a week ago. He was 99.
He was a faith leader who ministered to the powerful, including both Republican and Democratic presidents.
Graham’s family escorted his remains from the East Front of the Capitol into the Rotunda shortly before 11 a.m., where his casket was placed upon the Lincoln Catafalque.
His casket will remain in the building’s Rotunda on Wednesday, just the fourth individual to lie in honor there.
Rosa Parks most recently received the rare tribute, joining two U.S. Capitol Police officers killed in the line of duty, Officer Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson.
Several U.S. presidents, generals and lawmakers have lain in state in the Rotunda — most recently, Sen. Daniel Inouye, Hawaii’s first U.S. senator and the recipient of the Medal of Honor for his service in World War II.
Scores of people — including members of Congress clad in dark mourning colors — are expected to file past and pay their final respects to Graham. The Rotunda will be open for public viewing from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m. Graham’s remains will depart the Capitol on Thursday morning.
A funeral is planned Friday in North Carolina.
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