Jakarta. Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas on Tuesday made an open invitation for Pope Francis to visit Indonesia and celebrate religious tolerance in the country which has the biggest Muslim population in the world.

"I would love to see Pope Francis in Indonesia to get first-hand experience about the beauty of diversity here and greet Indonesian Catholic followers in person," Yaqut said in a statement.

“This is our hope that His Holiness will visit Indonesia when the situation returns to normal,” he added, referring to the global Covid-19 pandemic that resulted in global travel restrictions.

The minister said the ministry’s director-general for Catholic affairs will be sent to the Vatican to extend the invitation.

He said he met with the Pope during an event in the Vatican in 2019 and that the Catholic Church leader praised cultural and religious diversity in Indonesia.

Muslims make up more than 80 percent of the Indonesian population but according to an estimate the country also has approximately 23.5 million Christian followers.