The statue called the Trsat Pilgrim is the work of Ante Jurkovic. It was unveiled by the Archbishop of Zagreb and president of the Croatian Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Josip Bozanic.
Bozanic said, among other things, that John Paul II had given the faithful in Croatia joy, hope, compassion and friendship.
Also in attendance was Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, who said Croatia owed the late pope gratitude for the friendship he had shown the country publicly and unselfishly when it was needed.
Sanader recalled that the Holy See had set a precedent in recognising Croatia's independence more than 10 years ago by doing it before the international community.
He also spoke of John Paul's three pastoral visits to Croatia, saying that during the first he brought support for Croatia's justified struggle for independence, during the second a message of reconstruction and forgiveness, and during the third underlined the importance of the road to Europe.
Addresses were also delivered by city and county officials, as well as by the Apostolic Nuncio to Croatia, Javier Francisco Lozano.
After the statute was unveiled, Cardinal Bozanic celebrated mass.
The statue depicts John Paul II in prayer before the miraculous painting of Our Lady of Trsat when he visited the shrine on 8 June 2003, during his third trip to Croatia. The statue weighs about one tonne and is 2.8 metres tall.