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.

Burt Odelson, Dolton’s attorney behind the deal, said that the owner agreed to sell amid threats of Dolton taking the house via eminent domain.