Cardinal George visits inmates in Lake County Jail

Cardinal George visits inmates in Lake County Jail

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Cardinal Francis George has now spent some time in the Lake County Jail.

The leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago made his first visit to the jail Thursday.

George presides over 2.4 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties. He’d made visits to jails in Cook County but had never been to Lake County’s facility before.

The religious leader got a tour of the jail Thursday and walked from cell to cell, pausing to pray with inmates and ask about their families. George says he wanted to let the inmates know that they aren’t isolated from society.

Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran says George’s visit was prompted by a letter from a jail chaplain.