The police in a Chicago suburb on Thursday were investigating a report of a bomb threat at the home of a brother of Pope Leo XIV.
Officers in New Lenox, Ill., southwest of Chicago, on Wednesday evening responded to a threat related to John Prevost’s house. No explosive devices or hazardous materials were found, according to a statement from the police department. It was unclear from the statement how the report was initially received and by whom.
“Making false reports of this nature is a serious offense and may result in criminal charges,” the New Lenox Police Department statement said.
Mr. Prevost, one of the pope’s older brothers, did not respond to requests for comment.
The investigation comes amid days of tension between the pope and President Trump over the Iran war. The Trump administration has portrayed the conflict as a “just war” backed by the will of God and Jesus Christ. Pope Leo has strongly disagreed, stating at one point that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.”
Last year, after the new pope was named, attention focused on his family members in the United States, particularly because he was the first American pontiff. Mr. Prevost, a retired educator and school principal, has regularly been asked about his connection to Leo.
The Prevost family lived for a time in Dolton, Ill., just outside Chicago, attending church and school at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish on Chicago’s South Side. The pope’s father was a school superintendent and his mother a librarian who was deeply involved in parish life. In addition to John and Robert, now Pope Leo, the Prevosts had another son, Louis, who lives in Florida.
Last year, John Prevost said of his brother, “I don’t think he’ll stay quiet for too long if he has something to say.”
He added, “How far he’ll go with it is only one’s guess, but he won’t just sit back. I don’t think he’ll be the silent one.”
Julie Bosman contributed reporting.
Christina Morales is a national reporter for The Times.
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