President Trump and congressional leaders praised Billy Graham as America’s pastor during a private ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning.
Graham, an evangelical preacher who spoke to millions in his lifetime, died Feb. 21 at age 99. His casket, supported by a wood catafalque and draped in a black cloth, will lie in honor throughout Wednesday in the Capitol Rotunda.
The president and first lady Melania Trump sat next to the Graham family during the roughly 30-minute ceremony in the Rotunda.
Trump called Graham legendary and an “ambassador for Christ,” while recalling how his father, Fred Trump, was a fan of the late preacher.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., also touted Graham as a leading American religious figure.
Graham’s wooden casket was carried into the Rotunda by pallbearers just after 11 a.m. By then, the silent Rotunda was filled with members of Congress, Cabinet members, Trump and Vice President Pence.
Trump, McConnell and Ryan each gave brief speeches before laying three wreaths next to Graham’s casket.
Graham is the fourth person to lie in honor at the Capitol. The last was civil rights icon Rosa Parks in 2005. U.S. Capitol Police officers Jacob Joseph and John Michael Gibson, both of whom were killed in the line of duty in 1998, also received the honor.
Graham's body was laid in repose at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C. on Monday and Tuesday. Ex-presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton both visited the library to honor Graham.
The Billy Graham Library will host the funeral on Friday and Trump will be the only president to attend. Graham's five children will speak. About 2,300 invitations were sent out for the funeral.