ROME -- Pope Benedict XVI has departed from a Rome airport for a trip to Africa that includes stops in Cameroon and Angola. The pope's Alitalia flight left Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport shortly after 10 a.m. (0900 GMT, 5 a.m. EST) Tuesday. It will arrive in Yaounde, Cameroon, about six hours later. The seven-day pilgrimage is Benedict's first trip as pontiff to Africa, the fastest-growing region for the Roman Catholic Church. He says he wants to bring a message of hope to a continent suffering from poverty, disease and armed conflict.
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