01-07-2025
Village of Dolton, Illinois poised to approve purchase of Pope Leo XIV's childhood home
What was once an average home in Chicago's south suburbs has now received national attention for being the childhood home of Pope Leo XIV.
The Village of Dolton is now working to take control of the house at 212 E. 142nd Pl.
The Dolton village attorney said there is an agreement by the village to purchase the property directly from the owner. The Dolton Village Board was to vote upon the agreement for final approval Tuesday night.
On Tuesday ahead of the vote, contractors were out all day fixing the house's 30-year-old roof and replacing it with a new one. The new roof was donated by a roofing company in the area.
Meanwhile, there continued to be a steady stream of visitors stopping by to pray.
The village attorney said Dolton is planning to provide police protection at the house on a 24/7 basis, and to turn the entire block on which the house sits into a historical site.
"I really would like to see the community have more jobs so people can have more income," said neighbor Donna Sanga David. "I think that's part of the problem in our community I s, you know, the poverty."
The Village of Dolton plans to apply for both federal and Illinois state funding. There is already a plan to purchase other properties on 142nd Place.
The village estimates it will close on the sale as early as next week. A dollar figure was agreed upon — and while the exact figure was not disclosed, the village and the seller met somewhere in between the original $200,000 list price and the $1 million-plus asking price.
The Village of Dolton will vote on whether to make it official at its board meeting at 6:30 p.m.
