Billy Graham Will Lie in Honor At U.S. Capitol Rotunda Before Private Funeral
Legendary Rev. Billy Graham will lie in honor for two days next week, starting February 28, at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
“Members of the public and Capitol Hill community are invited to pay their respects to the late reverend while he lies in rest,” said a statement released by House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Known as "America’s pastor,” Graham died Wednesday at his home in North Carolina at the age of 99.
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Graham will be the fourth person ever to lie at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The last time a private citizen was given the honor was civil rights hero Rosa Parks, in 2005.
An evangelical minister who became one of the most influential preachers of the 20th century, Graham also served as a counsel to 12 consecutive U.S. presidents, from Harry Truman to Barack Obama.
In recent years, Graham had been in poor health and turned his international ministry over to his son Franklin.
The statement from Ryan described Graham's legacy as "touching the lives of many and forever changing the course of the world’s spiritual health.”
Tributes have poured in from all over the world, marking Graham's influence on millions of preachers. President Donald Trump also called him "a very special man" on Wednesday, and has ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and other U.S. public buildings and facilities on the day of Graham's interment.
Former presidents spoke of his enduring influence with Barack Obama saying he was "a humble servant who prayed for so many - and who, with wisdom and grace, gave hope and guidance to generations of Americans."
Graham's funeral on March 2, which according to local reports had been "in the works for years," will be private. About 2,300 guests have been invited, including Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and every living former president.
Graham will be buried in Charlotte, North Carolina. He will rest next to his late wife, Ruth, who passed away in 2007, in a simple matching casket hand-crafted by prison inmates from the Louisiana State Penitentiary. His grave marker will read: "Preacher of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ."