In the homily, Fr. Poquillon emphasized that Cardinal Stepinac lived at a difficult time when his prudence in making hard decisions was crucial. He said that Blessed Alojzije’s prudence was closely related to the suffering he endured. “Alojzije was sent to prison because he made a prudent choice—between the authorities and fidelity to the Church and Holy Father, and he chose the latter” he said. To the assembled Members of the European Parliament, Fr. Poquillon also said that every day the Lord invites them to be prudent in making hard decisions and has provided them with the example of the Croatian beatus on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of his beatification.

The Mass of Thanksgiving for the beatification of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac was celebrated at the European Parliament at the initiative of the Croatian Member of the European Parliament Marijana Petir, who in June 2016 organized an exhibition and conference on the life and work of Cardinal Stepinac at the European Parliament in Brussels.