Chapter 27
The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow hosts the funeral for President Smirnov. A hearse, covered in flowers, carries the deceased President to the church. Crowds of mourners line the street and wait for the departed’s arrival. Broken-hearted, the people wish to offer their condolences.
When the hearse arrives, bearers remove the casket. The people wail and cry out. The pallbearers move slowly and deliberately into the cathedral. With synchronized steps, they take the President to the altar, where he lays reposed in a half-couch casket.
The Orthodox patriarch begins the ceremony with the sign of the cross and deep-throated exhortations to prayer. As he swings the censor, incense rises, and the monks sing Let my prayer arise. Their voices draw the mourners deeper into th
