Dolton's plan to acquire Pope Leo XIV's childhood home, possibly through eminent domain, raises legal questions

CBS News

21-05-2025

A fight for ownership of Pope Leo XIV's childhood home in Dolton, Illinois, raises questions about legality.
The current owner of the home at 212 E. 141st Pl. has signaled that he plans to sell it at auction, and Dolton Mayor Jason House has said the village will seek to buy it, but if negotiations fail, could seek to acquire it through eminent domain.
That's when a government body seizes private property for public use without the owner's consent, but pays the owner a fair amount for the value of the property.
There is immense interest in what happens next to Pope Leo's childhood home in Dolton.
"They're bringing rosaries, flowers. We light candles," said Donna Sagna Davis, who lives next door.
Davis has erected a cross outside her own home; Gregorian chants belting from a speaker in her window via a playlist she found on YouTube.
"I've seen a lot of people; people from Greece, people from Italy, Germany," she said. "One woman came and she prayed, touched the door of the pope's house, and she said she wanted to be healed."
On the day then-Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected pope, the owner of the pontiff's childhood home said he learned about Pope Leo's election through his real estate agent while at a doctor's appointment with his pregnant wife. Polish and Catholic, he sees it as a blessing for his growing family.
CBS News Chicago was the first to go inside the newly renovated house on the day Pope Leo was elected.
With the house now a piece of history, Dolton Mayor Jason House has said the cash-strapped village plans to acquire it, either through direct purchase or through eminent domain powers.
"We consistently say we want to make sure that we're partnering with the archdiocese to honor it in the right way," he said.
But that plan – intersecting the use taxpayer funds and a religious organization – has raised concerns, and not just limited to the First Amendment separation of Church and State.
"We have statutory problems dealing with eminent domain, and it has to be used for a public purpose, not for a private or for religious reasons. There are a lot of obstacles in this, and I think down the road, there's going to be a lot of legal issues," CBS News Chicago legal analyst Irv Miller said.
The Archdiocese of Chicago said it "appreciates the outreach from the Village of Dolton and our preliminary discussions regarding the former Prevost family home."
"At this time, the archdiocese does not have a plan in place concerning the property," the archdiocese added.
On Wednesday, a group of Polish priests working in Chicago came by the house, leading a prayer over the home and its community.
"I feel like God has come to Dolton, so I'm excited," Davis said.
House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification about his statement regarding a partnership with the Archdiocese regarding the pope's childhood home.
The home is still listed for auction, with bids accepted until June 18.