Pope Benedict XVI asked the government of Turkey to grant full legal recognition to the Catholic Church and to establish a formal dialogue with the nation’s Catholic bishops to work out concrete problems.
Welcoming Muammer Dogan Akdur as Turkey’s new ambassador to the Vatican Jan. 19, the pope said that while Turkish Catholics enjoy religious freedom in the country the church as a whole would like to have a recognized juridical status under Turkish law.
"I have no doubt that your government will do everything in its power to advance in this direction," the pope told the new ambassador.
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