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Pope Leo's Childhood Home Draws Crowds in Chicago Suburb
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In Short: The home where Pope Leo XIV grew up in Dolton, Illinois, has become a tourist attraction since his election.
The home where Pope Leo XIV grew up in Dolton, Illinois, has become a tourist attraction since his election as pope.
Lamont Terrell, who lived in the home at 212 E. 141st from 2016 to 2023, said he painted the house numbers black and the door bright red.
Kareem David and his wife, Donna, who live in the adjacent home, noted the influx of visitors and expressed hope that the home could become a museum.
Dolton residents have been excitedly claiming Pope Leo as their own, with some residents like Yolanda Hannon visiting the house with family members.
Children have been running up and down the block, and the sounds of a radio sermon can be heard from the neighboring home.
The village of Dolton recently began offering private tours of the home for reporters and religious groups, along with Pope Leo's brother, John.
Police in suburban Chicago are investigating an unfounded bomb threat directed at the home of Pope Leo's brother.
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 history by submitting a mail-in ballot for the US midterm elections, citing his long-standing belief in civic participation.
Pope Leo has also weighed in on the MLB postseason, blessing the Chicago White Sox.
The home remains closed to the public, but residents and visitors continue to flock to the site, eager to see where the first American-born pope grew up.
What this adds
The home where Pope Leo XIV grew up has become a tourist attraction since his election, with visitors coming from far and wide to see the modest house.
Local media outlets reported 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.
Pope Leo has made history by becoming the first sitting pontiff to cast a ballot in a U.S. midterm election, reflecting his commitment to civic participation.
Background
Pope Leo XIV received letters and photos from ICE detainees in Chicago, along with advocates providing pastoral care.
The home where Pope Leo XIV grew up in Dolton, Illinois, has become a tourist attraction since his election.
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.
- "The pope looked visibly moved" while listening to the testimony of Abigail Ortiz Valles, a Scalabrinian laywoman who takes part in the coalition's ministry at the Broadview ICE facility near Chicago, according to the group's Facebook page.
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.
- ROME — Mayor Brandon Johnson invited Pope Leo XIV to celebrate Mass in Grant Park next year during a much-awaited meeting Thursday afternoon in Vatican City, where the son of a pastor and chief executive of the pope’s hometown said the two bonded over their advocacy for migrants, descendants of slavery and the city of Chicago — intracity sports rivalries notwithstanding.
- 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.
- Neighbors nearby were notified and asked to evacuate their homes out of an abundance of caution, police said.