In a unanimous vote at a special board meeting held July 1, the village council of Dolton, Ill., voted to purchase the childhood home of the first U.S.-born pope, Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.

Dolton residents were skeptical at Tuesday's board meeting, questioning whether the financially strained village could afford to purchase the home and maintain the streets surrounding it.

The Dolton Village Board unanimously voted to acquire Pope Leo XIV's childhood home, attracting pilgrims and raising local excitement and financial concerns.