The Board of Dolton Village has voted unanimously to take control of the childhood home of Pope Leo XIV in Chicago’s south suburbs, which has now received national attention.
The Board voted unanimously on Tuesday night to take control of the house at 212 E. 142nd Pl, calling the purchase a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.
Although the house and the street on which it is located is small there has been a lot of traffic headed its way lately, a welcome phenomenon for Dolton village leaders.
At a special village board meeting Tuesday night, most people agreed with Dolton Mayor Jason House on seizing the opportunity to buy the home before investors do so. However, some residents had reservations.
Dolton resident, Ryan Reese opined that the purchase of the house should not be the first priority. “We need to be mindful of addressing the issues the city has while trying to address the debts and lawsuits,” he said.
Another resident, Annette Mauro said, “As a practicing Catholic I see no reason why you want to buy that house,” as the inside does not look anything like when Father Prevost lived there.
Another longtime resident, Mary Avent, said the current lack of a police chief and fire chief in Dolton is more important.
“Purchasing the pope’s house is admirable,” she said, “but with the state we’re in right now, I guess my concern is, do we have the money?”
Before finalizing the decision, Mayor House addressed the concerns, and ensured that the purchase would bring much-needed state and congressional funding to Dolton.
“Some are talking about the repair of our streets and current infrastructure,’ House said. “We are fully committed and will be doing both.”
The mayor agreed with some trustees who compared Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home to the homes of other popes, and how historical acknowledgement of those homes has only benefited communities.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said House. “We can either seize this moment and move it forward, or we can let that moment go to an investor. I would like our community to get the benefits of this opportunity.”
The village attorney earlier said Dolton is planning to provide police protection at the house on a 24/7 basis, and to turn the entire block on which the house sits into a historical site.
Meanwhile, there continued to be a steady stream of visitors stopping by to pray.
“I really would like to see the community have more jobs so people can have more income,” said neighbor Donna Sanga David. “I think that’s part of the problem in our community is, you know, the poverty.”
It was not clear late Tuesday how much the village would be paying for the house. Before all this, it was listed for just under $200,000, and the current auction price has a reserve of $250,000.
The village estimates the sale will close within the next two weeks.
