The Prevost family belonged to the now-shuttered St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in the Riverdale neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, then populated by throngs of Catholic families.

Chicago’s South Side was solidly working class during Pope Leo’s childhood, said Rob Paral, a researcher at the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago. The family attended a South Side church, but they lived in Dolton, a suburb just past the city line.

After a series of closures by the Chicago Archdiocese, Christ Our Savior Church in South Holland has bragging rights as Pope Leo XIV’s childhood parish.

"The Pope is from Chicago. This is one of the biggest moments in the modern history of our city," said Mayor Brandon Johnson in a statement.

Chicago's St. Mary's church, connected to Pope Leo XIV's past, captures local interest amid restoration efforts.

Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Sunday noon blessing from the loggia at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, three days after the 69-year-old Chicago-born missionary made history as the first American elected to lead the Catholic Church.

A popular Chicago restaurant chain is celebrating the election of Pope Leo XIV with a sandwich named in the pontiff's honor.

Before ascending to lead the Roman Catholic Church, Leo spent his childhood in Chicago’s South Side, where his family was beloved. He later spent two decades carrying out missionary work in Peru ...

Catholic Charities uses Cozen O'Connor for state government lobbying. So does Rush University Medical Center, which performs abortions, and CVS Health, whose pharmacies dispense prescriptions that end pregnancies.