In the village of Dolton, Illinois, near Chicago, the small, vacant single-family home where Pope Leo XIV spent his childhood is drawing visitors eager to retrace the new pope's humble beginnings. Neighbors who lived in the area at the time recall their working-class upbringing and say the church he attended as a child was the "center" of the community. "It’s just mind-blowing to think that it started here in our little humble little town of Dolton, Illinois,” says 65-year-old Sally Rock, who grew up there. Lea Morgan, another former resident, says the "neighborhood has really gone downhill" and is now "dangerous." Still, she remains hopeful: "Now that the Pope, Pope Leo, is here and he’s from this neighborhood, maybe our prayer for peace is being answered." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES