Yeltsin funeral draws crowd

Mourners file through Russian cathedral to view Yeltsin lying in state

Tearful Russians filed past the open casket of former President Boris Yeltsin inside a vast Moscow cathedral Tuesday in a ceremony that reflected the changes that transformed the nation during his eight years in power. Yeltsin lay in state inside Christ the Savior Cathedral, with a Russian tricolor flag draped over the end of the coffin. A four-member honor guard stood solemnly at each corner. Yeltsin's widow, Naina, flanked by her two daughters, wiped away tears as she stood next to the casket. A Russian Orthodox priest blessed it with incense and a stream of mourners, some wiping away tears, placed flowers nearby. Yeltsin, who died Monday at age 76, sometimes appeared at church services but was not seen as overtly pious. Nevertheless, the Russian Orthodox Church credits him as a key figure in its changed fortunes after decades of the Communist-era's official athiesm. "By his strength, he helped the restoration of the proper role of the Russian Orthodox Church in the life of the country and its people"...

***Indeed, it was Yeltsin who drove the nail to the coffin of the former USSR. And the whole world recognizes him as he is...a man of peace, leadership, and dignity. Peace, brother Boris. The world has become a safer place because of you.