With thousands of mourners pouring in to pay their last respect to veteran US Congressman Edward Kennedy after his death from brain cancer, his family has said his motorcade would stop at the Capitol Hill as part of the "final farewell" to the 'Liberal Lion of the Senate'.
"The Senator's motorcade will stop at the Senate steps (later in the day) for a brief prayer so that Senate staff and members of the broader Senate community with whom the Senator worked can bid a final farewell," a family statement said.
Kennedy, also known as 'Ted' who served the Senate for 47 years, died battling brain cancer on Tuesday. He will be laid to rest next to his brothers—former President John F Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy, at Arlington National Cemetery.
"Senator Kennedy spent more days than most at Arlington, the resting place for our nation's heroes, visiting the graves of his beloved brothers and paying tribute to the fallen men and women of Massachusetts who gave their lives for our country," the statement said.
US President Barack Obama will also deliver a eulogy at the Saturday funeral mass of Senator Edward Kennedy at 'Our lady of Perpetual Help' Basilicia before the burial. "While his daughter, Kara, was battling lung cancer at a nearby Boston hospital, Senator Kennedy attended Our Lady of Perpetual Hope each day and prayed for Kara and her recovery.
Over time, the Basilica took on special meaning for him as a place of hope and optimism," said the statement. Called the 'Liberal Lion of the Senate', the Senator from Massachusetts was remembered at the memorial service held at the J F K Library Memorial and Museum in Boston, which among others was attended by Vice President Joe Biden and several of his Senate colleagues including John McCain, John Kerry and Chris Dodd.
Kennedy was remembered as a warm, empathetic man who dedicated his life to helping the less fortunate. "He was the most reliable, the most prepared, and the most persistent member of the Senate. He took the long view. He never gave up. And though on most issues I very much wished he would give up, he taught me to be a better Senator," McCain said on the occasion, adding that the US Senate would never be the same again.
"The legacy of Ted Kennedy can be measured by how we look at one another - and in turn how we look at ourselves," Vice President Biden said, adding: "He made us all bigger -- his friends, his allies and his foes." Earlier in the day, Senator Kennedy lied in repose at the John F Kennedy Library and Museum.
Within one hour of the line being opened to the public on Thursday, 12,000 people came to pay their respect to the departed leader. By 10 pm, 21,000 people — from all corners of the world — stood in line to thank Senator Kennedy, and hours were extended to 2:00 am. It was open for the public again from 8 am to 3 pm yesterday. At least 50,000 mourners came to bid farewell to Senator Edward Kennedy, The Boston Globe said.
