Famed evangelist Billy Graham will lie in honor at the US Capitol next week, making him the fourth private citizen to receive the tribute.
House Speaker Paul Ryan announced Thursday that the world-renowned preacher and spiritual counselor to American presidents will lie in honor at the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, February 28 and Thursday, March 1.
After Graham’s casket arrives at the Capitol, Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will take part in a service. Graham’s son, Rev Franklin Graham, was invited to attend.
Rev Billy Graham, who died Wednesday at the age of 99, will lie in honor at the US Capitol Rotunda
A hearse carrying the remains of Graham is seen arriving at the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina on February 22, 2018 where a memorial was set up in his honor
A woman is seen wiping away tears while visiting a memorial for Graham on February 22, 2018 in the Chatlos Memorial Chapel on the grounds of the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina
Several people stopped by the the Chatlos Memorial Chapel on the grounds of the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina on February 22, 2018 to pay their respects to Graham
Graham’s daughter, Gigi (center), is seen being assisted to the Chatlos Memorial Chapel on February 22, 2018, where a memorial for her father is on display
Well-wishers left notes behind at the Chatlos Memorial Chapel in Asheville, North Carolina on February 22, 2018
‘(Graham) spread the gospel in 185 countries during his 99 years on Earth, touching the lives of many and forever changing the course of the world’s spiritual health,’ Ryan said in a statement.
Members of the public will be invited to pay their respects to Graham while he lies in honor.
Graham died on Wednesday at the age of 99 from natural causes. He preached Christianity to more people than anyone else in history during his 70-year career, reaching hundreds of millions of people either in person or via TV and satellite links, his ministry said.
Graham became the de facto White House chaplain to several US presidents, most famously Richard Nixon.
According to a House History on the tradition, the Capitol Rotunda was first used to pay tribute to the nation’s ‘most distinguished citizens’ in 1852. It was historically used to honor military officers and elected officials, including 11 US Presidents.
In 1998, the Rotunda was used for the first time to honor private citizens following the deaths of Jacob J. Chestnut Jr and John M Gibson, two Capitol Police Officers killed while protecting the Capitol from an armed assailant.
The last time the Rotunda was used for a private citizen was in 2005 when African-American civil rights activist Rosa Parks laid in honor.
Graham will be the fourth private citizen laid in honor at the Capitol Rotunda. The famed evangelist is pictured above speaking at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on October 22, 1988
Graham preached to millions of people and became a spiritual leader to US Presidents. He’s seen above preaching at Bercy’s Stadium in Paris on September 20, 1986
Graham (center) died at the age of 99 from natural causes. Pictured (l-r): Former Presidents George HW Bush and Bill Clinton with Graham, his son Franklin Graham and former President Jimmy Carter outside the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 31, 2007
Graham (left) was close to a lot of US Presidents, including former president John F Kennedy (right). They are pictured above at the White House on December 12, 1961
Graham (right) was also close with former president Barack Obama (left). They are pictured at Graham’s house in Montreat, North Carolina on April 25, 2010
Graham (right) is photographed above with former president George W Bush (left) at the Billy Graham Library on December 20, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina
Graham’s friendships with US Presidents goes back many years. Above, the famed preacher (center) is pictured with former president Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan in 1983
The reverend will lie in repose in his childhood home, which was moved to Charlotte several years ago on February 26 and February 27. The public will be allowed to pay their respects on both days from 8am to 10pm.
A private funeral for Graham will be held on March 2 at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. More than 2,000 people have been invited to attend the service including President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and every former living president.
A spokesman for the DeMoss Group, the public relations firm handling the funeral, told WKRN that Graham’s son will perform the eulogy.
The minister will be buried on the library property next to his wife Ruth, who died in 2007. His coffin, a plain pine casket, was built by inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
Former Angola Warden Burl Cain told The Advocate that Graham’s son, Franklin Graham, requested the coffin be made by the inmates after having seen the prisoners’ work during a visit in the early 2000s. Ruth Graham was also buried in a coffin built by the Angola inmates.
Graham is survived by his five children and 19 grandchildren.