ROME - Pope John Paul II put the last Austro-Hungarian emperor on the road to sainthood in a solemn beatification ceremony this month in St. Peter's Square, a move that has sharply divided opinion in Austria. He also beatified the 19th-century German mystic whose visions helped inspire Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of the Christ."

With dozens of members of Europe's royal families in attendance, the pope beatified Emperor Karl I, also known as Charles, saying he hoped that the emperor would "serve as an example, especially for those with political responsibilities."

The pope cited Karl, who assumed the throne in 1916, as a leader who worked for peace.

But others criticized the elevation to the final step before sainthood of the commander in chief whose troops used poison gas in World War I.

In an interview last month with the Catholic News Service, Rudolf Mitlohner, editor of the Catholic weekly Die Furche, said he thought that the beatification would "create unnecessary trouble for the church" in Austria. The Associated Press reported that the Austrian government had been criticized for its decision to send a delegation to Rome for the ceremony, on the ground that this violated separation of church and state.

"The pope has found that selling indulgences is a lucrative and media-friendly business," said Austrian Green Party's Assembly leader, Stefan Schennach. "The Hapsburgs have, for a decade, lobbied the Catholic right wing and bought this glorious day for their family in Rome."

Otto von Hapsburg, the emperor's 91-year-old eldest son, said he would not stoop to respond to such charges and insisted that his father's beatification was "a great celebration for all of the countries on the Danube."

APA also reported that Austrian news media had ridiculed the Vatican for the miracle attributed to Karl I, the scientifically inexplicable healing of a Brazilian nun's varicose veins. Beatification requires at least one miracle.

The pope also beatified Sister Anna Katharina Emmerick, the 19th-century German nun, who experienced unexplained bleeding wounds similar to those suffered by Jesus in his crucifixion.