Memorial Service Celebrates Life of Kennedy
By VOA News
29 August 2009
People arrive for funeral of Senator Kennedy at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica for funeral mass, in Boston, 29 Aug 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama will deliver a eulogy shortly at the funeral for U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, the patriarch of one of America＇s most famous political families.
Mourners have gathered for the private service at a Catholic church in the city of Boston in the northeastern U.S. state of Massachusetts. A light rain has cast a dreary pall over the scene.
Members of the clergy are reading prayers and passages from the Bible as members of Kennedy＇s family stand by his flag-draped casket.
The funeral has drawn many members of America＇s political elite, including former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. More than 60 current and former U.S. Senators also are expected to attend.
Later, Kennedy will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near, Washington, DC, near the graves of his assassinated brothers, President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy.
Ted Kennedy died Tuesday at the age of 77 from brain cancer.
Serving for 47 years in the Senate, Kennedy was known as the "liberal lion", taking positions that often angered his conservative counterparts. But lawmakers who served with him have praised the late senator for his ability to reach across party lines on important issues like civil rights, health care and education.
His funeral follows several days of memorials during which Kennedy＇s fellow Democrats, along with Republicans united in paying him tribute.
Former political foe and personal friend, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said he had battled Kennedy for 33 years, and "enjoyed every minute of it.
Friday night, Vice President Joe Biden said Kennedy changed the way Americans look at those who are different from them, with greater tolerance for those differences.
Tributes also have come from other world leaders, highlighting Kennedy＇s dedication to human rights and his work to end apartheid in South Africa.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not be attending the funeral, but wrote in Friday＇s Boston Globe that Kennedy is being mourned as a "great internationalist" who inspired social progress in every country.
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