Argentina: Town Renames Street After Pope Francis

A street in La Plata, Argentina has become the first street to be renamed in honor of Pope Francis, who succeeded Pope Benedict XVI on March 13.

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Gregorio Borgia / AP

Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, March 13, 2013.

A street in La Plata, Argentina has become the first road to be renamed in honor of Pope Francis, who succeeded Pope Benedict XVI on March 13.

A section of Avenue 53, which leads to the cathedral in La Plata, has been renamed “Papa Francisco” in honor of the  Buenos Aires-born Pope.

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La Plata lies just about 40 miles south from the country’s capital. The town’s mayor, Pablo Buera, announced the decision in a televised ceremony:

We were moved by the appointment of Jorge Bergoglio as pope. We received many suggestions for places to be baptized in his name, but we chose this site because it is symbolic of the cathedral.

There may be more to come: According to the Global Post, people have already pushed to rename streets in the neighborhood where Pope Francis was born, as well as the school where he studied.

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