Pope Benedict XVI head of the world's richest church is due to arrive in poverty stricken Angola on Friday on the second leg of his week-long maiden trip as pontiff to the continent. Angola's minister for public administration and employment told public sector workers they could take the day off to mark the papal visit, the state Angop news agency reported.
Benedict was scheduled to meet with the country's president of 30 years, Eduardo dos Santos, on his arrival in the capital Luanda.
He was also due to meet with the local Catholic bishops, meet with NGOs and hold an outdoor mass during his stay in the country, which was the first in sub-Saharan Africa to be evangelized about 500 years ago.
