Rome - Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday departed Rome for his first trip as pontiff to Africa, with stops scheduled in Cameroon and Angola.

Benedict, on board an Alitalia Boeing 777 jet, left Rome's Fiumicino airport just after 10.00 a. m. (0900GMT) and was scheduled to arrive in Yaounde's Nsimalen airport in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, following a six-hour flight.

On Friday the pontiff plans to fly to Angola, from where he is scheduled to return to Rome on March 23.

During his six-day trip, Benedict is set to meet with political and church leaders, lead young Catholics in prayer at two mass rallies and visit charities.

The late Pope John Paul II visited Africa 16 times. That was more visits than he made to any other continent.

In contrast, Benedict's only visit to the continent where the Catholic Church is growing the fastest, was as a cardinal, to the Congolese capital Kinshasa in 1987. Benedict has said that during the trip he intends to stress the role of the church in "reconciliation, justice and peace".

He also plans to prepare for the second synod of African bishops, a gathering to be held in Rome in the autumn, by delivering in Cameroon a document to bishops from across the continent. (dpa)