Congressional leadership announced last week that it would commemorate the life of evangelist Billy Graham by having him lie in honor this Wednesday, a rare accolade for any American and an official embrace of the religious leader from the halls of government.
Graham will be only the fourth private citizen to lie in honor, following civil rights icon Rosa Parks in 2005 and two slain Capitol Police officers in 1998, the Architect of the Capitol’s records say.The practice is similar to lying in state, where the casket of a government or military official is honored with brief placement in a government building. Former presidents, as well as some lawmakers and other officials, have lain in state at the Capitol Rotunda, and Supreme Court justices have lain in repose at the Supreme Court building, a tradition that continued with the death of Justice Antonin Scalia two years ago.Criticism of honoring Graham has been somewhat muted, with the Freedom From Religion Foundation issuing a statement calling the plan to have his body lie in honor inappropriate and citing, among other things, his comments on the Nixon tapes disparaging Jewish people, which he apologized for after they became public.
Read the full story at CNN
