Chicago suburb to honor Pope Leo XIV with street dedication
Village of Dolton intends to purchase Pope Leo XIVs childhood home
The Village of Dolton plans to pay "fair market value" and is working with the Chicago Archdiocese to turn the popes childhood home into a historic site.
DOLTON, Ill. - The Dolton Village Board on Monday approved the naming of a street in honor of Pope Leo XIV, who grew up in the south suburb.
What we know:
The measure would give 141st Place from Indiana Avenue to Manor Avenue the honorary name "Pope Leo XIV Place," said Mayor Jason House at a board meeting.
The resolution received unanimous approval from the village trustees.
TOPSHOT - Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Francis Prevost arrives on the main central loggia balcony of the St Peter's Basilica for the first time, after the cardinals ended the conclave, in The Vatican, on May 8, 2025. Robert Francis Prevost was ( )
House said the actual date for the dedication of the street had not yet been determined. He added that the village would like to invite some "special guests" to the dedication, although he did not specify which guests.
"It also demonstrates that great things do come out of Dolton," House said.
The backstory:
Pope Leo’s ties to Dolton have caused a stir in the south suburb with many making a pilgrimage to his childhood home.
The excitement even led to confusion with some people venturing to the wrong house on 141st Street instead of 141st Place.
Village officials have discussed possibly purchasing the house and turning it into a historical site.
The pope’s boyhood home was on the market for $199,000 but house-flippers who had rehabbed the building pulled it from the market.