Turkey's court of appeals has upheld a jail sentence of just under 19 years for the teenage killer of an Italian Catholic priest, the state Anatolian news agency has reported.

Father Andrea Santoro, 61, was shot whilst praying in his church in the Black Sea city of Trabzon in February 2006.

The murder shocked the predominantly-Muslim nation and drew calls from the European Union for greater religious tolerance in Turkey.

A year ago, a Trabzon court found the boy guilty of premeditated murder, illegal possession of a firearm and endangering public security.

His family appealed against the jail sentence.

However, the Ankara appeals court confirmed the sentence of 18 years and 10 months on the boy, who as a minor has not been named.

Eye witnesses say the boy, aged 16 at the time, shouted "Allahu Akbar", which means "God is greatest", before shooting the priest dead.

Turkey's government strongly condemned the shooting, which had coincided with increased tensions after the publication of cartoons lampooning Islam's Prophet Mohammad in European newspapers.

Pope Benedict XVI, who visited Turkey in November 2006, paid personal tribute to Santoro at a mass in the Vatican.

A number of EU politicians said the incident showed Turkey had to do more to protect Christian priests and missionaries in the country.

However, the country's volatile religious tensions continued in April this year when assailants slit the throats of three people at a Bible publishing house in the eastern town of Malatya.

That trial is ongoing.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul addressed the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday, saying Christians could practise their faith freely and in safety in Turkey.