As Pope Leo XIV made his first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday (May 8), his hometown of Dolton, Illinois were pleasantly surprised by the news.
Born Robert Prevost, the 69-year-old former missionary became the first American to lead the Catholic Church, following the death of Pope Francis. A Chicago native with dual Peruvian citizenship, Prevost studied theology in the U.S. before decades of work abroad.
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In Dolton, his former parish, Saint Mary Church, now sits abandoned—its stained glass faded and sanctuary empty. But the memory of his local ties remains strong.
“He got the same degree I’m about to earn,” said Gardis Watts, a Catholic Theological Union student and Dolton resident. “That’s a pretty good moment for me. I share some similarities with the with the pope.”
Others were surprised to learn a future pope once lived in the neighborhood. “It’s cool to know someone like that lived here,” said Dolton resident Jasmine Ramirez.
At the Vatican, Pope Leo addressed the crowd in Italian and Spanish, offering a message of peace.
President Donald Trump swiftly congratulated him on becoming the first U.S. pope. "What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"
However, the new pope has a history of criticizing Trump and Vice President JD Vance's policies, according to posts on the X account of Robert Prevost.
(Production: Eric Cox, Colette Luke, Jose Pablo Diaz)
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