Argentina City Names Street after Pope Francis

A street in the Argentine city of La Plata became the first to be renamed in honor of Pope Francis, local television reported here Tuesday.

A section of Avenue 53 leading to La Plata's cathedral has now been renamed "Pope Francis" to mark the election to Argentine-born Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio the head of the Catholic Church on March 13.

"We were moved by the appointment of Jorge Bergoglio as pope," La Plata mayor Pablo Bruera said at the end of a televised ceremony. "We received many suggestions for places to be baptized in his name, but we chose this site because it is symbolic of the cathedral."

La Plata, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Buenos Aires, has a population of 800,000.

Since Pope Francis was named earlier this month several other towns and cities across Argentina have proposed renaming streets after him.