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Pope Leo's Childhood Home Draws Crowds in Chicago Suburb
Confirmed
In Short: The home where Pope Leo XIV grew up in Dolton, Illinois, has become a tourist attraction since his election.
The home at 212 E. 141st Place in Dolton, Illinois, has become a focal point for visitors since Pope Leo XIV was elected as the first American-born pope.
Lamont Terrell, who lived in the home from 2016 to 2023, said he put up the black 212 house numbers and painted the bright red door.
Kareem David and his wife, Donna, who live in the adjacent home, noted the influx of visitors and expressed hope that the house could become a museum.
Dolton residents have embraced Pope Leo as one of their own, with some like Yolanda Hannon, who grew up nearby, seeing the attention as an opportunity to showcase their community.
Children ran up and down the block, and the sounds of a radio sermon could be heard from the home next door, highlighting the community's religious ties.
The village has begun offering private tours of the home for reporters and religious groups, including Prevost’s brother, John.
Police in suburban Chicago are investigating an unfounded bomb threat directed at the home of Pope Leo's brother, highlighting the increased attention on the area.
Pope Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, grew up in a modest, single-family brick home built in 1949, according to its real estate listing.
The Chicago-born pope has made several public comments, including a blessing for the Chicago White Sox during the MLB postseason.
Mayor Brandon Johnson invited Pope Leo to celebrate Mass in Grant Park next year, bonding over their shared advocacy for migrants and the city of Chicago.
What this adds
The home remains closed to the public, with private tours being the only way to view the interior.
Pope Leo's selection as the first American-born pope has drawn significant attention to his childhood home, with visitors coming from far and wide.
Background
The home, built in 1949, has attracted visitors from far and wide, with people coming to see where the Chicago-born pope spent his childhood.
Chicago-based iconographer Joseph Malham created a Marian icon for Pope Leo XIV, who will keep it in his bedroom.
What's confirmed
- Police in suburban Chicago are investigating an unfounded bomb threat directed at the home of Pope Leo's brother.
- The Chicago-born pope made his first public comments to commemorate the anniversary, speaking in English at the end of his traditional Sunday noon blessing from his studio window overlooking St.
- At the time, he was the Chicago provincial leader of the Augustinians.
- The Vatican confirmed Friday that the Chicago-born pontiff had submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, citing his long-standing belief in civic participation.
What's still developing
- One of them was Lamont Terrell, who said he lived in the home at 212 E. 141st from 2016-2023 with his late mother and sisters, Darneka Robertson and Bianca Heller, who were with him Sunday.
- DOLTON — An unassuming block in south suburban Dolton was packed with onlookers this weekend, with people coming from far and wide to sneak a peek at newly elected Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home.
- Johnson said the pontiff “was very gracious and very encouraging” about a series of executive orders that he had issued to push back against federal immigration enforcement operations in Chicago.
- After Pope Leo was elected, he traveled to Genazzano — which is about 40 miles southeast of Rome — to pray before the image located in the basilica.
- The Pope said that "great things" happen in his hometown.
- Doctors diagnosed the 71-year-old Chicago-born pope with pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a cancer that affects both smokers and non-smokers alike.
- Local media outlets reported Oct. 14 that students at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy were planning to send the pope items including get-well cards and a Chicago White Sox blanket.
- The Holy See Press Office said in a statement on Oct. 14 that the pope had undergone scheduled blood tests and chest X-ray, which confirmed that his postoperative recovery is progressing normally.
- Peter’s Basilica that the College of Cardinals had chosen their Chicago-born confrere Robert Prevost as pope, I shared the widespread excitement of my fellow journalists, Catholic and otherwise — most of all, the Americans.
- Chicago pounced on the Astros for four runs in the first inning a day after scoring three in the first two innings of a 6-3 win.
- “My family lives around the corner, so I’ve walked by here ever since I was a little kid,” said Dolton resident Yolanda Hannon, who was visiting the house Sunday with her daughter, Madison, and mother, Janae.
- “She’s been [playing the sermons] for nine years,” Kareem David said.