Latest news with #CardinalPrevost
Washington Post
02-07-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Pope Leo XIV's hometown approves the purchase of his childhood home in hopes of reviving the village
CHICAGO — Pope Leo XIV's hometown is poised to buy his childhood home after the south Chicago suburb's board voted unanimously Tuesday to purchase the property, hoping it will breathe new life into a village saddled with financial woes. Since white smoke billowed in May from the Sistine Chapel and Pope Leo XIV was elected Pope Francis' successor, the new pope's childhood home — a small, two-story house in Dolton, Illinois, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Chicago — has drawn visitors from across the country with many treating it as a pilgrimage site. Cardinal Robert Prevost made history by becoming the first pope from the United States — a stunning decision that Chicagoans celebrated by flocking to churches and sharing memes . Prevost was born in 1955 in the South Side Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville and grew up in suburban Dolton, near St. Mary of the Assumption , where he attended Mass and elementary school. He later studied theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood and taught in local Catholic schools, including at St. Rita High School. Dolton Mayor Jason House called purchasing the pope's childhood home a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' during a Tuesday meeting of the Dolton Village Board. The childhood homes of other popes have often been turned into museums or pilgrimage sites. 'This is a proud moment for our village and an opportunity, and we want to make sure that we're doing it justice,' he said. Yet several residents at Tuesday's meeting were skeptical about any benefit to taxpayers, questioning whether the financially strained village could afford to purchase the home and maintain the streets surrounding it. The board hired former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to probe the village's finances last year, and she found Dolton's bank accounts had been depleted. The village was $3.65 million in debt and had unpaid bills piling up. Dolton gained national attention amid allegations of its former Mayor Tiffany Henyard's financial mismanagement, corruption and failure to follow state transparency laws by turning over spending and other records. 'Purchasing the pope's residence is admirable.' Dolton resident Mary Avent told the board on Tuesday. 'But with the state we're in right now, I guess my concern is, do we have the money?' House said he is committed to repairing the streets surrounding Prevost's childhood home and assured residents he understood their concerns. Still, he said the sale will likely close within two weeks. The house's listed owner did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. 'We can either seize this moment going forward or we can let that moment go to an investor,' House said. 'I would like our community to get the benefit of this opportunity.' Other board members echoed the mayor's excitement over the purchase, as some spoke of how the childhood homes of Michael Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr. offered economic opportunity to their communities. A recent post on the village's Facebook account showed workers repairing the house's roof and celebrated the home for 'bringing new energy and attention to our village.' Gino Ferrari, president of Windy City Construction Group, said he offered the full roof replacement for free to the current owner, saying he 'wanted to make sure this roof lasts a long time.' In front of the home, the company put up a sign with an image of Pope Leo XIV and the words 'Pope Leo's childhood home' and 'A roof for the pope's roots.' As crews worked on the roof Tuesday, they chatted with neighbors who offered them water and bike riders who traveled along the lakefront from Chicago to see the house. 'Dolton has been through a lot in the last few years, so this is such a great, positive moment for Dolton,' Ferrari said. 'The community seems pretty excited.'
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Pope Leo XIV's hometown approves the purchase of his childhood home in hopes of reviving the village
Pope Leo XIV's hometown is poised to buy his childhood home after the south Chicago suburb's board voted unanimously Tuesday to purchase the property, hoping it will breathe new life into a village saddled with financial woes. Since white smoke billowed in May from the Sistine Chapel and Pope Leo XIV was elected Pope Francis ' successor, the new pope's childhood home — a small, two-story house in Dolton, Illinois, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Chicago — has drawn visitors from across the country with many treating it as a pilgrimage site. Cardinal Robert Prevost made history by becoming the first pope from the United States — a stunning decision that Chicagoans celebrated by flocking to churches and sharing memes. Prevost was born in 1955 in the South Side Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville and grew up in suburban Dolton, near St. Mary of the Assumption, where he attended Mass and elementary school. He later studied theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood and taught in local Catholic schools, including at St. Rita High School. Dolton Mayor Jason House called purchasing the pope's childhood home a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' during a Tuesday meeting of the Dolton Village Board. The childhood homes of other popes have often been turned into museums or pilgrimage sites. 'This is a proud moment for our village and an opportunity, and we want to make sure that we're doing it justice," he said. Yet several residents at Tuesday's meeting were skeptical about any benefit to taxpayers, questioning whether the financially strained village could afford to purchase the home and maintain the streets surrounding it. The board hired former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to probe the village's finances last year, and she found Dolton's bank accounts had been depleted. The village was $3.65 million in debt and had unpaid bills piling up. Dolton gained national attention amid allegations of its former Mayor Tiffany Henyard's financial mismanagement, corruption and failure to follow state transparency laws by turning over spending and other records. 'Purchasing the pope's residence is admirable.' Dolton resident Mary Avent told the board on Tuesday. 'But with the state we're in right now, I guess my concern is, do we have the money?" House said he is committed to repairing the streets surrounding Prevost's childhood home and assured residents he understood their concerns. Still, he said the sale will likely close within two weeks. The house's listed owner did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. 'We can either seize this moment going forward or we can let that moment go to an investor," House said. 'I would like our community to get the benefit of this opportunity.' Other board members echoed the mayor's excitement over the purchase, as some spoke of how the childhood homes of Michael Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr. offered economic opportunity to their communities. A recent post on the village's Facebook account showed workers repairing the house's roof and celebrated the home for 'bringing new energy and attention to our village.' Gino Ferrari, president of Windy City Construction Group, said he offered the full roof replacement for free to the current owner, saying he 'wanted to make sure this roof lasts a long time.' In front of the home, the company put up a sign with an image of Pope Leo XIV and the words 'Pope Leo's childhood home" and 'A roof for the pope's roots.' As crews worked on the roof Tuesday, they chatted with neighbors who offered them water and bike riders who traveled along the lakefront from Chicago to see the house. 'Dolton has been through a lot in the last few years, so this is such a great, positive moment for Dolton," Ferrari said. "The community seems pretty excited.'
Associated Press
02-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Pope Leo XIV's hometown approves the purchase of his childhood home in hopes of reviving the village
CHICAGO (AP) — Pope Leo XIV's hometown is poised to buy his childhood home after the south Chicago suburb's board voted unanimously Tuesday to purchase the property, hoping it will breathe new life into a village saddled with financial woes. Since white smoke billowed in May from the Sistine Chapel and Pope Leo XIV was elected Pope Francis' successor, the new pope's childhood home — a small, two-story house in Dolton, Illinois, about 20 miles south of Chicago — has drawn visitors from across the country with many treating it as a pilgrimage site. Cardinal Robert Prevost made history by becoming the first pope from the United States — a stunning decision that Chicagoans celebrated by flocking to churches and sharing memes. Prevost was born in 1955 in the South Side Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville and grew up in suburban Dolton, near St. Mary of the Assumption, where he attended Mass and elementary school. He later studied theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood and taught in local Catholic schools, including at St. Rita High School. Dolton Mayor Jason House called purchasing the pope's childhood home a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' during a Tuesday meeting of the Dolton Village Board. The childhood homes of other popes have often been turned into museums or pilgrimage sites. 'This is a proud moment for our village and an opportunity, and we want to make sure that we're doing it justice,' he said. Yet several residents at Tuesday's meeting were skeptical about any benefit to taxpayers, questioning whether the financially strained village could afford to purchase the home and maintain the streets surrounding it. The board hired former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to probe the village's finances last year, and she found Dolton's bank accounts had been depleted. The village was $3.65 million in debt and had unpaid bills piling up. Dolton gained national attention amid allegations of its former Mayor Tiffany Henyard's financial mismanagement, corruption and failure to follow state transparency laws by turning over spending and other records. 'Purchasing the pope's residence is admirable.' Dolton resident Mary Avent told the board on Tuesday. 'But with the state we're in right now, I guess my concern is, do we have the money?' House said he is committed to repairing the streets surrounding Prevost's childhood home and assured residents he understood their concerns. Still, he said the sale will likely close within two weeks. The house's listed owner did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. 'We can either seize this moment going forward or we can let that moment go to an investor,' House said. 'I would like our community to get the benefit of this opportunity.' Other board members echoed the mayor's excitement over the purchase, as some spoke of how the childhood homes of Michael Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr. offered economic opportunity to their communities. A recent post on the village's Facebook account showed workers repairing the house's roof and celebrated the home for 'bringing new energy and attention to our village.' Gino Ferrari, president of Windy City Construction Group, said he offered the full roof replacement for free to the current owner, saying he 'wanted to make sure this roof lasts a long time.' In front of the home, the company put up a sign with an image of Pope Leo XIV and the words 'Pope Leo's childhood home' and 'A roof for the pope's roots.' As crews worked on the roof Tuesday, they chatted with neighbors who offered them water and bike riders who traveled along the lakefront from Chicago to see the house. 'Dolton has been through a lot in the last few years, so this is such a great, positive moment for Dolton,' Ferrari said. 'The community seems pretty excited.'
CTV News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Pope Leo XIV affirms celibacy for priests, demands ‘firm' action on sex abuse
Pope Leo XIV leads a meditation with the participants into the Jubilee of Bishops inside St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) ROME — Pope Leo XIV affirmed Wednesday that priests must be celibate and insisted that bishops take 'firm and decisive' action to deal with sex abusers, as he gave marching orders Wednesday to the world's Catholic hierarchs. Leo met in St. Peter's Basilica with about 400 bishops and cardinals from 38 countries attending this week's special Holy Year celebrations for clergy. A day after he gave an uplifting message of encouragement to young seminarians, Leo offered a more comprehensive outline of what bishops must do to lead their flocks. It's an issue the former Cardinal Robert Prevost would have long pondered given his role as the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops. In that job from 2023 until his election in May, the Chicago-born Prevost vetted bishop nominations for Pope Francis, identifying the type of leader who would further Francis' view of a church where all are welcome and dialogue is the decisive form of governance. History's first American pope reaffirmed Wednesday that the primary role of bishops is to forge unity in his diocese among clergy and to be close to his flock in word and deed. Bishops must live in poverty and simplicity, generously opening their homes to all and acting as a father figure and brother to his priests, Leo said. 'In his personal life, he must be detached from the pursuit of wealth and from forms of favoritism based on money or power,' he said. Bishops must remain celibate 'and present to all the authentic image of the church, holy and chaste in her members as in her head,' he said. Referring to cases of abuse, he said bishops 'must be firm and decisive in dealing with situations that can cause scandal and with every case of abuse, especially involving minors, and fully respect the legislation currently in force.' It was the second time in a week that Leo has commented publicly on the abuse scandal. On Friday night, in a written statement to a crusading Peruvian journalist who documented gross abuses in a Peruvian Catholic movement, Leo said there should be no tolerance in the Catholic Church for any type of abuse. He identified sexual and spiritual abuses, as well as abuses of authority and power in calling for 'transparent processes' to create a culture of prevention across the church. Francis, who in many ways placed Leo in position to succeed him, had also reaffirmed celibacy for Latin rite priests while acknowledging it was a discipline of the church, not doctrine, and therefore could change. But he refused appeals from Amazonian bishops to allow married priests to address the priest shortage in the region. Prevost spent two decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru and would know well those arguments. But on Wednesday he reaffirmed the celibate priesthood as the 'authentic image' of the church. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
The Independent
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Pope Leo issues orders insisting that priests must be celibate
Pope Leo XIV has issued a clear mandate to the world's Catholic hierarchy, affirming the necessity of priestly celibacy. Leo's directives, which also included "firm and decisive" action from bishops in addressing sex abuse within the Church, came during a significant address to hundreds of global Catholic leaders. Speaking from St. Peter's Basilica, Leo met with approximately 400 bishops and cardinals representing 38 countries. The gathering was part of this week's special Holy Year celebrations for clergy, and followed a day after the Pope delivered an encouraging message to young seminarians. This address, however, offered a more comprehensive outline of the responsibilities bishops must undertake to guide their congregations. As Cardinal Robert Prevost, Leo served as the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Bishops from 2023 until his election in May. In that pivotal role, the Chicago-born Prevost was responsible for vetting bishop nominations for Pope Francis, seeking out leaders who would advance Francis's vision of an inclusive Church where 'all are welcome and dialogue is the decisive form of governance'. Beyond the critical issues of celibacy and abuse, the pontiff reiterated that the primary duty of bishops is to foster unity among clergy within their dioceses and to maintain a close relationship with their flock "in word and deed". He further instructed that bishops must embody poverty and simplicity, generously opening their homes to all, and acting as both a "father figure and brother"to their priests. 'In his personal life, he must be detached from the pursuit of wealth and from forms of favoritism based on money or power,' he said. Bishops must remain celibate 'and present to all the authentic image of the church, holy and chaste in her members as in her head', he said. Referring to cases of abuse, Leo said bishops 'must be firm and decisive in dealing with situations that can cause scandal and with every case of abuse, especially involving minors, and fully respect the legislation currently in force'. It was the second time in a week that Leo has commented publicly on the abuse scandal. On Friday night, in a written statement to a crusading Peruvian journalist who documented gross abuses in a Peruvian Catholic movement, Leo said there should be no tolerance in the Catholic Church for any type of abuse. He identified sexual and spiritual abuses, as well as abuses of authority and power, in calling for 'transparent processes' to create a culture of prevention across the church. Francis, who in many ways placed Leo in position to succeed him, had also reaffirmed celibacy for Latin rite priests while acknowledging it was a discipline of the church, not doctrine, and therefore could change. But he refused appeals from Amazonian bishops to allow married priests to address the priest shortage in the region.
