Pope Francis - visiting his first conflict zone - has said he hopes next month's polls in the Central African Republic (CAR) will open a "new chapter" for the country.

CAR has been torn apart by violence between Muslim rebels and Christian militias.

The Pope was speaking after arriving in the capital, Bangui.

Acting President Catherine Samba-Panza has asked him for "forgiveness" for the country's recent religious violence.

Large crowds lined the road from the airport to welcome the Pope - and people cheered and sang when he arrived at a refugee camp.

In an address at the presidential palace, he called for unity and to avoid "the temptation of fear of others, of the unfamiliar, of what is not part of our ethnic group, our political views or our religious confession".

The Pope said ahead of his trip he was determined to bring a message of peace and hope to the country.

During the visit, the pontiff will celebrate Mass in Bangui, but is also expected to meet Muslim leaders and visit a mosque in the city's Muslim enclave, known as PK5.

At the scene: Caroline Wyatt, BBC religious affairs correspondent

Rarely has a Pope landed somewhere with armoured vehicles on the tarmac and a refugee camp full of displaced people within sight. Many in Bangui had worried that the Pope might cancel his visit, after fears that his security could not be guaranteed.

This visit to a conflict zone is not only a first for a Pope, but also a crucial signal from the outside world to the people of this troubled nation that such a leader has come to bring a message of peace.

Pope Francis's arrival in the Central African Republic has delighted the people who lined the streets to see him. Signs welcoming "Pape Francois" were everywhere in the capital of this French-speaking country, and the excitement was palpable.

One woman hoping for a glimpse of the Pope expressed her joy after his plane landed, saying his visit here brought real hope in dark times.

Can Pope tackle religious divide in CAR?

This is the last leg of an African tour which took in Uganda and Kenya.

In Uganda, the Pope celebrated Mass in front of an audience of hundreds of thousands of people, and spoke at a Catholic shrine dedicated to Christians martyred for their faith in the 19th Century.

The Mass marked the 50th anniversary of the martyrs' canonisation.

On Friday, the Pope addressed an audience of young people in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, urging them to unite and take a stand against the destructive effects of tribalism.

Central African Republic:

• Population: 4.6 million - 50% Christian, 15% Muslim, 35% Indigenous beliefs
• Years of conflict and misgovernance
• Conflict only recently along religious lines
• Previously ruled by Emperor Jean-Bedel Bokassa
• Rich in diamonds
• 10,000-strong UN force took over a peacekeeping mission in September 2014
• France has about 2,000 troops in its ex-colony, first deployed in December 2013

Living under a shadow of fear in Central African Republic

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In pictures: Bokassa's ruined palace in CAR

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War has blighted the CAR for decades, but it was only two years ago the fighting took on a religious form.

President Francois Bozize was ousted in a coup in March 2013, and a group of mostly Muslim rebels from the north, the Seleka, marched on Bangui, briefly taking control of the country.

Their rebellion tapped into a feeling northerners had of being excluded and unrepresented by the central government, correspondents say.

They targeted churches and Christian communities, which triggered the creation of the anti-Balaka - meaning anti-violence - militias, and led to a downward spiral of tit-for-tat violence which continues.

Towns and villages are divided, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced into camps divided along religious lines.