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Exclusive: Pastor Reflects On Whitney Houston's Funeral, Burial

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Pastor Joe Carter presided over Whitney Houston's funeral Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark. After attending her private burial Sunday, he spoke exclusively with CBS 2, sharing his thoughts on the emotional weekend.

"Whitney, if you could hear me now, I would tell you, you were not just good enough, you were great," said Kevin Costner, Houston's co-star in "The Bodyguard."

"I was overwhelmed. There was a point I thought this was the eulogy. He spoke with such emotion," Carter told CBS 2's Ann Mercogliano. "It was very powerful, just very sincere."

During this difficult time, he said, it is Houston's mother Cissy who is the strongest.

"She was actually strengthening me by her profound faith. She kept saying how the Lord was going to bring her through this and that made yesterday just a little bit easier," Carter said.

It was the sight of Cissy walking behind her daughter's silver casket as Whitney's unforgettable voice could be heard throughout the church image that he says will be the most enduring from this time of sorrow.

"No one's ever going to forget that. I knew that was a moment that would be pressed on everyone's mind," he told Mercogliano. "Singing to us, it was like she was actually here."

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