Dolton Threatens To Seize Pope's Childhood Home Through Eminent Domain

DOLTON, IL — In the latest twist in the saga of Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home, the village of Dolton has said it intends to buy the modest south suburban house or, if necessary, to seize it using eminent domain, according to reports.

The small three-bedroom home at 212 E. 141st Place skyrocketed to prominence when its former occupant, Robert Francis Prevost, was named the next pope earlier this month.

The home, which had been listed for sale in January, was pulled from the market and later re-listed for auction.

However, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that village attorney Burt Odelson in a letter alerted auction firm Paramount Realty USA that Dolton has its own plans for the house.

"We've tried to negotiate with the owner,” Odelson told WLS, noting the village is working with the local archdiocese to make the house a public historic site.

“[He] wants too much money, so we will either negotiate with the auction house or, as the letter stated that I sent to the auction house, we will take it through eminent domain, which is our right as a village.”

Seller Pawel Radzik “is excited to have the potential opportunity to work with the church, the archdiocese and the village of Dolton to purchase the property,” real estate broker Steve Budzik told The New York Times.

The owner bought the home about a year ago for $66,000 and fully renovated it, according to listings from Realtor.com and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. The house was built in 1949 and the earliest record of its sale on Realtor.com is for $58,000 in 1996.

The pope was born in 1955 and grew up in Dolton, near St. Mary of the Assumption, where he attended Mass and elementary school before pursuing a career in the church.