Luanda/Yaounde - Arriving in Angola on the second leg of his Africa trip, Pope Benedict XVI Friday urged the oil-rich nation not to forget its poor and called for greater civic participation in its post-war rehabilitation.

Benedict was met at Luanda's airport by President Eduardo dos Santos and his wife and local Catholic bishops.

In a speech at the airport, Benedict urged Angola, sub-Saharan Africa's second-largest oil producer, to use its abundant resources for the betterment of all its inhabitants.

"Unfortunately, within the borders of Angola, there are still many poor people demanding that their rights be respected," he said.

The task of reducing inequality would require the involvement of the whole of Angolan civil society, he said, against the backdrop of criticism from human rights bodies of Angola's controversial record on basic freedoms.

Radio Ecclesia, a church-backed radio station that is one of the sole sources of independent news, has been barred from broadcasting outside the capital.

The state has also been accused of excessive force in dismantling slums and corruption in state institutions is rife.

In addressing the legacy of Angola's 27-year civil war that ended in 2002, the pope drew comparisons with his own experience, saying he also had known "war and division between family members from the same nation as a result of inhuman and destructive ideologies" and encouraging dialogue for lasting peace.

The pope arrived from Cameroon, where the start of his first Africa trip as pontiff was overshadowed by his controversial remarks about the role of condoms in HIV/AIDS prevention.

He said condom use was not the answer to preventing the spread of the pandemic in Africa and could actually aggravate the situation - a position contrary to that of the health fraternity.

In the west African country, he met with bishops from across the continent to prepare the second synod of African bishops in the autumn, held talks with Muslim leaders and addressed around 60,000 people at a stadium mass.

In Angola, public sector workers were given the day off to mark the visit.

Thousands of people lined Luanda's streets for his arrival, some waving banners heralding him as a "friend" and saying Angola was with him. Some had been bussed in from rural areas by the church.

The city's main arteries had been spruced up, with some building facades having received a lick of paint and new trees planted.

Angola was the first in sub-Saharan Africa to be evangelized about 500 years ago, a fact the pope stressed in his address.