Friday, June 18, 1999; 3:50 p.m. EDT

HAVANA (AP) -- Protestant church leaders in Cuba have invited Fidel Castro to join them at a worship service in the Plaza of the Revolution this weekend, official media reported Friday.

The invitation was extended during a meeting between Castro and the church officials Thursday night, and the Cuban leader said he would be honored to attend, the Communist Party daily Granma said.

In its lead story, Granma said the church officials also invited top party leaders and other groups to attend, whether or not they are believers.

Cuban religious groups enjoy much more freedom than they did in past decades, when the government was officially atheist. Church-state relations have warmed in recent years, highlighted by the visit of Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II in January 1998.

The pope celebrated Mass in the same plaza where the Protestant groups will converge on Sunday morning.