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CNN Live Event/Special

Awaiting Start of Funeral Service at National Cathedral; The Reception of the Body; The Anthems in Procession by Rev. Michael Curry. Aired 12-12:30p ET

Aired November 05, 2021 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: I mean, he said he was misled by the intelligence community.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah. But he did and he talked a lot about how will that happen and why that happened? But ultimately it was him that was his credibility he was putting on the line and it backfired.

TAPPER: This is the grandchildren and the children of Colin Powell walking into the National Cathedral being led. For them we have to remember he was not just a symbol. He was not just a diplomat or a general not somebody whose views are to be debated. He was a beloved father and grandfather, by all accounts, a warm and wonderful man and presence in their lives even if they did have to chair him with the rest of us.

Those were the grandchildren of General Colin Powell and Alma Powell. We're now expecting the children to be escorted into the National Cathedral. You're watching the rather rare event in American politics.

Usually, such tributes are reserved for major political figures like presidents or presidential nominees candidates, like Senator John McCain, like George H. W. Bush, this is a rather remarkable event but he was such a bipartisan figure. And so beloved, here is the casket bearing former Secretary of State and retired General Colin Powell.

[12:05:00]

REV. MICHAEL CURRY, PRESIDING BISHOP AND PRIMATE, THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Congregation may stand as you are able. With faith in Jesus Christ, we received the body of our brother Colin Luther Powell for burial. Let us pray with confidence to God, giver of life, that he will raise him to perfection in the company of the saints.

Deliver your servant Colin, oh Sovereign Lord Christ, from all evil and set him free from every bond that he may rest with all your saints in the eternal habitations were with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Live and rein one God forever and ever. Amen.

REV. MARIANN BUDDE, BISHOP, EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF WASHINGTON: Let us also pray for all who mourn, that they may cast their care on God and know the constellation of his love. Almighty God looks with pity upon the sorrows of your servants for whom we pray. Remember them Lord in mercy, nourish them in patience, comfort them with a sense of your goodness, lift up your countenance upon them and give them peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[12:10:00]

(THE RECEPTION OF THE BODY)

(THE CATHEDRAL CHOIR SING "SET ME AS A SEAL")

[12:15:00]

BISHOP MICHAEL BRUCE CURRY, PRESIDENT BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH: I resurrection into life --. He that leave it to me, though he was dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

I know that my Redeemer liveth that he shall stand at the latter day. Though this body be destroyed, yet shall I see for myself and mine I shall behold and not as a stranger but none of us live it to him and no one dies to himself.

For if we live, we live unto the Lord. And if we die, we die into the Lord whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's blessing, are the dead who die in the Lord. Even so, say at the spirit. Well they rest from their labors.

[12:20:00]

REVEREND RANDOLPH MARSHALL HOLLERITH, DEAN, WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL: Good afternoon. My name is Randy Hollerith and I'm the Dean of Washington National Cathedral. And on behalf of Marian -- the Bishop of the Diocese of Washington, and Michael Curry, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Welcome.

Welcome to this house of prayer for all people. It is indeed an honor for us to host this service for Colin Powell, to Mrs. Powell, Michael and Linda and the entire Powell Family our hearts are with you and with all those across our country, and indeed around the world who grieve the loss of this great American leader, and patriot.

Today, we give Colin Luther Powell back to the God who gave him to us while we mourn his death; our faith tells us that there is indeed life beyond the grave and that God never lets us go. So as the old prayer says, we gathered to give thanks for all the goodness and courage that have passed through Colin Powell's life into the lives of others.

For his loyalty to his country and his love of the good and for all those noble qualities of mind and soul that endeared him to so many. He lived a life of service and he was a great blessing to all who knew him. In the words of St. Paul, he fought the good fight and he kept the faith may the God of love bless him and keep him now and always thank you?

RICHARD ARMITAGE, FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: Well good afternoon. I'm going to break protocol just a little bit and acknowledge Alma Powell, Michael and Jane Powell, Linda Powell, and Marie and Francis Lyons and the grandchildren.

[12:25:00]

ARMITAGE: We're here for your father your husband your granddaddy and quite a turnout it is. If I may, President Biden, Dr. Biden, thank you very much for your attendance, particularly after the arduous trip. President Obama, Mrs. Obama, thank you so much for being here. And thank you for leading our nation for eight years, with wit, wisdom and dignity.

And President Mrs. Bush, thank you so much for being here. You lead our nation through the horror of 9/11 did not let us take counsel of our fears, and brought us out the other side on this war on terror. Thank you. And Mrs. Clinton so what do I say? Do I say First Lady? Or do I say Secretary Clinton, or Senator Clinton?

I think I just content myself by saying, we thank you for your years of service to our nation, and you know, of Colin's affection for you. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote, if at the end, one can say, this man used to the limit the powers that God granted him, he was worthy of love, and respect, and the sacrifices of many people made in order that he might achieve what he deemed to be his task, then that life has been lived well.

And there are no regrets. And is that sound like somebody, you know, seemed like the husband, the father and the grandfather of the Powell Family right here. People ask me, how did you develop a 40 year friendship with Secretary Powell General Powell? Then it was Colonel Powell?

Well, you have two disgruntled, multi tour combat vets, who are not happy with the way we conducted the war, and certainly not happy with the way we left. And delighted to be part of a new administration which was coming in to develop not only the weapon systems we needed, but redevelop the morale that our nation needed so much, that was a more natural bonding thing.

One day, I asked General Powell, I think he was a Major General at the time, that's what's the secret to leadership, but how do you know a good leader? He said, well, you know, you see some people and they look great, they look strikingly uniform. But the fact of the matter is that they can lead a horse to water, there are other people who look like an unmade bed.

And yet, they can lead people anywhere. And he said, the trade I guess you'd want to see in a leader is someone who, whose truth would follow him or her anywhere, anywhere, but if out of curiosity, and somebody who would follow him and her, just to see where the heck, he's going.

I asked General Powell one day what he learned in the army, what's the most important thing he learned? He said wait, most importantly, he learned was in ROTC when he learned about the first general order, which cautions essentially, to take charge of this post, all government property in sight, and stand this post until properly relieved. But in his interpretation, that didn't mean you stood at the PX, which was warm. A lot of friendly faces going back. Yeah, you did that that was part of your duty but how about the motor pool?

And how about the repair shops, they're part of your duty to you don't get to pick and choose what you like better, hey, standard it to people.

He would say I extend the first general order to people. So we're all human, some people we like better than others. But if you're in charge, you can't show it. And Colin would always in that comment by saying, we all need you treat everyone with a little bit more kindness we think they deserve because we don't know what's going on in their lives.

You know, I'm going to quickly throw out three anecdotes for you. This is a celebration. It's a celebration of life. And I want to kind of fill that picture of Colin Powell out a little bit. And I'm going to try to tie together his sense of humor, his insatiable curiosity and his comfort in his own skin.

One day I was upstairs the Pentagon, two floors above, then Chairman Powell and he buzzed me and asked me to come down. Sure, I'll be right down to around roll, roll down the two flights of stairs into his office, Nancy, who's at the door. She said; go right on in there expecting you.

Well I wasn't expecting them but I went on in and there was a boom box playing was a shirker the very tall gentlemen.

[12:30:00]