CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Rev. Billy Graham will be brought to the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, February 28, where he will lie in honor in the rotunda.
Last week, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced citizens would be invited to pay their respects to the famed evangelist, also known as America’s Pastor.
Upon the arrival of Rev. Graham’s casket, Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will take part in a bicameral service. Graham will be just the fourth private citizen and the first religious leader to receive this honor. The others were two Capitol police officers killed in the line of duty in 1998 and Rosa Parks in 2005.
Only presidents, military commanders and members of Congress are granted the honor to lie in state. The casket is guarded at each of its corners by servicemen from each of the four branches of the United States Armed Forces.
The Capitol will be closed to official business until 1 p.m. Wednesday. The public is invited to pay their respects to Rev. Graham from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m.
“His ministry will go far past his death and I think that’s why it’s important that Billy Graham be honored inside the U.S. Capitol because individuals that make that list have a significant presence to play in America’s future, not just our past,” said Senator Richard Burr.
Following Wednesday’s public viewing, Graham’s casket will be removed from the Capitol and taken back to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte. Graham will be laid to rest following a private funeral in Charlotte on Friday, March 2 on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library.
In 1998, Congress created a similar privilege for private citizens to lie in honor. An honor guard is provided by the United States Capitol Police.
Graham was often called upon by several U.S. presidents, including Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush during their time in office. Clinton and George W. Bush paid their respects in Charlotte this week.
Presidents called on Graham in their dark hours, and uncounted millions say he showed them the light. He took his Bible to the ends of the Earth in preaching tours he called "crusades." Even now, anywhere a satellite, radio, TV, video or podcast can reach, his sonorous voice is probably still calling someone to Christ.
