The nation’s five living presidents came together on Thursday to honor former President Jimmy Carter in a pomp-filled funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral, creating a moment of solemn respite from the capital city’s political tensions and whirl of activity in preparation for a new administration.

Jimmy Carter, a U.S. president who struggled with a bad economy and a hostage crisis but was widely admired in his post-White House career, was remembered during his state funeral on Thursday as a man who put honesty and kindness above politics.