'Seize this moment': Pope Leo XIV's hometown approves purchase of house where he grew up
DOLTON, IL – The tiny hamlet where Pope Leo XIV was raised landed a miracle on July 1 after a village board approved the purchase of the house where he grew up, a move they hope will spark a revival for the blighted small town.
The Dolton Village Board approved the purchase at a special meeting on July 1, marking a coup for the small town that's experienced rough decades amid a loss of manufacturing jobs and a previous corrupt mayor. Many thought Dolton didn't have the money or political will to land the little ranch house where Leo played priest as a young Robert Francis Prevost.
"We can either seize this moment and move forward or let it go to an investor," said Dolton Mayor Jason House, addressing the crowd at the public meeting. "You cannot cut your way out of a deficit — you have to make sure you have economic opportunities."
Childhood homes of Leo's predecessors have also become museums and pilgrimage sites, drawing hundreds of thousands of people. It's expected that Leo's house will also become a museum or shrine, USA TODAY previously reported.
People from around the country have already begun treating it as a pilgrimage site. Some began arriving within hours of the announcement that Leo had become pope on May 8.
Attorney on the deal: 'This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'
Dolton's approval of the purchase also comes as a surprise — the house was in the process of being sold at an auction that was supposed to close July 17, according to the listing.
Village attorney Burt Odelson, who orchestrated the deal, told USA TODAY that the homeowner agreed to sell outside of the auction.
Auctioneer Paramount Realty, a New York-based firm known for selling the childhood home of President Donald Trump for over $2 million, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment. Homeowner Paweł Radzik did not immediately respond either.
Odelson declined to share the final price but said it was "significantly lower than what they thought they would get." He said he had secured financing for the purchase and that the paperwork would be completed in about a week.
The prominent Chicago attorney said the owner agreed to sell in response to threats that Dolton would take the house via eminent domain.
Odelson described the coup as a capstone in his decades-long career.
"Even for me, who's done a lot and seen a lot, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said the South Side Chicago native. "I've dealt with presidents, senators, mayors, but there's always another one. Not for this— he's the only American pope."
The Pope Leo effect: Many US Catholics don't fully practice their faith. Could Leo's papacy change that?
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