Billy Graham leaves a debated legacy
Called ‘America’s Pastor’, the Evangelical preacher was honoured in the US Capitol building, but his views on interfaith and racial tolerance remain a subject of some dispute.
Mourners have been filing past the body of Evangelical preacher Billy Graham in the US Capitol Rotunda, an honour rarely afforded to those not connected to the US government or military.
Graham died last week at the age of 99 and was buried on Friday in North Carolina at a ceremony attended by President Trump.
His preaching was welcomed by DC’s powerful and he used his position as “America’s Pastor” to advocate for war against those whom he felt were the US’s enemies.
Later in life, Graham expressed regret at having been a political figure. But he opened the way for the current ascendance of Christian fundamentalism in Washington, DC, from the White House to Capitol Hill.
The legacy of his speeches and stances on political and social remains debated today.
Al Jazeera’s Shihab Rattansi reports.
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