New Lenox police are investigating a bomb threat at the home of Pope Leo XIV‘s brother, John Prevost, New Lenox police Chief Micah Nuesse said.
Police responded to the bomb threat at 6:29 p.m. Wednesday but determined it was unsubstantiated and said no explosive devices or hazardous materials were present.
No injuries were reported and the nearby residents, asked to evacuate when the threat came in, were allowed to return to their homes.
“This is an active and ongoing investigation,” Nuesse said.
The New Lenox Police Department said Wednesday police are working to determine the origin of the report. Police said making false reports of this nature is a serious offense and may result in criminal charge.
A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Chicago said Thursday the FBI is aware of the threat and has been in contact with law enforcement, but referred all questions to New Lenox police.
Specialized units, including the Will County sheriff’s office explosive detection K9, were brought in to assist in the investigation.
Police advised anyone with information to contact the New Lenox police at 815-485-2500 or submit an anonymous tip through the New Lenox website at www.newlenox.net and navigating to “report a crime tip” in the form center.
Prevost, the older brother of Pope Leo XIV, lives in New Lenox, and another brother, Louis, lives in Florida. The pope’s family is from Dolton.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump called the pope “weak” and “terrible” but said he favored Leo’s brother, Louis Prevost, whom he called “all MAGA.”
“I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn’t!” Trump said in his social media message.
The social media criticism comes during a rapidly escalating feud between the Vatican and White House over the U.S.-Israel war in Iran.
Speaking after an unrelated event Thursday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he was saddened to hear about the reported threat to the home of Pope Leo’s brother.
“I can just tell you that the family members of people who hold high office, like of course the pontiff — family members suffer greatly, often, from having attention put on them that maybe they weren’t really looking for,” Pritzker said.
“The level of rhetoric needs to come down. We’ve seen the president of the United States going after the pope — I mean, the leader of the Catholic Church, somebody who is a humanitarian above and beyond any politics,” Pritzker added. “What the pope wants is peace in the world, and that’s what he’s advocating for, and the president apparently can’t handle that, doesn’t believe in peace for the world, and is showing that by going to war in Iran, a war of choice by him.”
awright@chicagotribune.com oolander@chicagotribune.com
