WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home has been sold to the village where he grew up, which intends to make it a historical site, local media reported on July 11.
The modest brick home in the Chicago suburb of Dolton, population 21,000, was sold by its current owner for US$375,000 (S$480,350), WGN television said.
It said the owner had bought the house for US$66,000 in 2024 – prior to Pope Leo’s election as the first American pontiff – and done extensive renovations.
The Dolton village board of trustees voted earlier in July to purchase the three-bedroom house and turn it into an attraction open to the public.
According to WBEZ Chicago radio, the parents of Pope Leo – born Robert Prevost – bought the house in 1949 and sold it in 1996. AFP
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