Catholic statues thrust a Massachusetts city into a national religious liberty debate
Source: USA Today
Updated Oct. 28, 2025, 12:00 p.m. ET
A showdown over Catholic statues on a public building in a Massachusetts city represents yet another fight in a national conversation about the separation of church and state. Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch commissioned statues of St. Michael and St. Florian, the patron saints of police and firefighters, to adorn its new police headquarters.
But more than a dozen residents are suing Koch, alleging that the city is violating religious neutrality as outlined in the state constitution. A judge granted a preliminary injunction in mid-October, barring the statues from being installed as litigation continues. Koch told The Patriot Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the city would be appealing the ruling.
"We chose the statues of Michael and Florian to honor Quincy’s first responders, not to promote any religion," Koch said. "These figures are recognized symbols of courage and sacrifice in police and fire communities across the world.” The Becket Fund, an organization that says it defends “religious liberty as a universal right,” is representing the city in the case.
The organization won a case representing Hobby Lobby in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, granting private employers the right to deny contraception coverage to employees because of their religious beliefs. The Massachusetts litigation coincides with lawsuits over several states’ efforts to display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. All of it comes at a time when the Trump administration is working to put its own stamp on what religious liberty means under the First Amendment.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/10/28/catholic-statues-quincy-massachusetts-religious-liberty/86934318007/
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