Town Aims to Buy—or Seize— Pope's Childhood Home

Auction bids on Pope Leo XIV's childhood home in a Chicago suburb will be accepted for another month, but we may already know who will end up with the property. The village of Dolton, where the modest three-bedroom home stands, plans to take possession of the property one way or another and turn it into a historic site, the New York Times reports. The village "intends to purchase this home either through direct purchase or through their eminent domain powers," a lawyer wrote to Paramount Realty USA on Tuesday. In the latter case, the local government would take possession of the property for public purposes after paying "fair compensation" to the owner, according to the letter.

Leo's father owned the home for almost 50 years before selling it for $58,000 in 1996. The current owner, 36-year-old Pawel Radzik, purchased it for $66,000 last year. After completing extensive renovations, he listed it for $219,000, then $199,000. When former resident Robert Prevost was elected pope, offers flooded in, but Radzik, seeing his prospects rise, opted for an auction sale. His broker now says he's "excited to have the potential opportunity to work with the church, the archdiocese and the village of Dolton to purchase the property," per the Times. The attorney who penned the letter notes the village hopes to avoid the pricey and lengthy legal process that comes with using eminent domain powers. But he tells KABC, Radzik "wants too much money." (More Pope Leo XIV stories.)