The late Pope John Paul II was officially beatified at a ceremony in Vatican City on Sunday.
"From now on Pope John Paul II shall be called 'blessed' and his feast day shall be celebrated every year on October 22," Pope Benedict XVI told a huge crowd in St Peter's Square.
Karol Woytila was inaugurated as Pope on October 22, 1978 and that date will be celebrated as the feast day of the blessed John Paul II.
The beatification ceremony was attended by 87 delegations of secular officials, of which 22 were led by heads of state or government. The Croatian delegation was headed by Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.
The ceremony drew over a million faithful from around the world, including several thousand from Croatia. Also attending were the Archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Josip Bozanic, and prominent Croatian Catholic dignitaries.
Pope John Paul II visited Croatia three times -- in 1994, 1998 and 2003. The 2003 visit was his 100th trip abroad. He died on April 2, 2005, aged 84.
Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit Croatia on June 4-5.
