Pope Benedict XVI has pledged the Holy See's support for Turkey's entry into the European Union, apparently in exchange for legal recognition of the Catholic Church in the Muslim-majority country.

In a ceremony on 19 January to welcome Muammer Dogan Akdur to the Vatican as Turkey's new ambassador, the Pope said he had "no doubt" that Ankara would provide a "juridically recognised statute" for the 35,000-member Catholic Church and begin an "official dialogue" with the Turkish Catholic Bishops' Conference. Ambassador Akdur, 59, thanked the Pope for speaking out "in favour of Turkey's European aspirations" and said his country was firmly committed to "Western values" and striving to meet "European standards".

This was the second time, following the words of the Turkish Prime Minister last November during the papal visit to Turkey, that an official representative of Ankara has publicly stated that the Pope was in favour of Turkey's EU bid. Pope Benedict has never publicly stated his support and Vatican officials have been coy to confirm it, but the Pope's Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said last month that "leaving Turkey out of Europe" risked fomenting "Islamic fundamentalism inside the country". He told a French Catholic journal that the Vatican had "no power" to favour or veto Turkey's EU ambitions.

The Catholic Church in Turkey, where 99 per cent of the population is Muslim, has faced bureaucratic and legal problems, especially over property ownership, because it is not legally recognised by the Turkish state.

Mr Akdur, a 30-year veteran of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, has served as ambassador to two other countries. By posting him to the Vatican, the Turkish Government has indicated that it is serious about courting the Holy See's support for its bid to join the EU.

However, the shooting of a newspaper editor who wrote about the early-twentieth-century genocide of Armenians has been seen as a setback to Turkey's negotiations with the EU, which has demanded measures to strengthen human rights and the rule of law since opening accession talks in October 2005.

Church leaders in Turkey condemned the 19 January shooting of Hrant Dink, editor of the bilingual Agos weekly. The killing sparked demonstrations in Istanbul, Bursa, Smirne and Ankara. Some 100,000 people joined the procession to Dink's funeral in Istanbul's Armenian Orthodox church on Tuesday.

"One cannot silence the voice of justice by eliminating its advocate," said the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Aram I. "The Armenian cause is one of justice, and the sons of the million and a half Armenian martyrs will continue their non-violent struggle." The Vatican's Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Lucibello, described the killing as a "deep blow against all Turkey".

"One body has not been hit, but the entire fabric of Turkish society, at a time when it is consolidating democracy and searching for a common course," Archbishop Lucibello told the Rome-based AsiaNews agency. "During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we cannot but unite in the sorrow of our brethren, showing our solidarity and closeness. We deeply hope this will not alter the pacific climate created by the Pope's visit between the faithful and leaders of different religions and Christian confessions on Turkish soil."

Dink, who had been given a six-month suspended sentence in 2006 for "insulting Turkey's identity", is the eighteenth journalist  killed in the past six years in Turkey.