A group of Quincy, Massachusetts, residents sued the city on Tuesday, May 27, in an effort to prevent the construction of two large statues of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian outside of a public building.
The 15 plaintiffs, described in a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union as a "multifaith group," filed the suit in the Norfolk County Superior Court. The suit alleges that the presence of the statues "promotes one religion over others, and religion over nonreligion, violating the Massachusetts Constitution."
Quincy is located south of Boston. It has a population of about 101,000 residents.
The lawsuit claims that Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch commissioned the statues before they were even revealed to the public as part of the plans for the new public safety building.
Patron saints
In February, local news in Quincy revealed that the city's new public safety building would feature 10-foot-tall bronze statues of St. Michael the Archangel and St. Florian. The saints are the patrons of police officers and firefighters, respectively.
Koch is a practicing Roman Catholic. In 2018, he left the Democratic Party due to its stance on abortion.
St. Florian was a Roman solider in the 3rd century who was reportedly in charge of a special group of firefighting soldiers. This fact is difficult to trace, but what appears to be more plausible is that he was associated with a particular miracle. According to the 19th-century book Sacred and Legendary Art, this involved his swift action to douse the flames threatening a city.
Saint Michael the Archangel was proclaimed by Pius XII the Protector of the People of God and victor of the fight between good and evil, and the Patron Saint and protector of the Police. Scripture speaks of the Archangel Michael fighting against Lucifer (Revelation 12).
Public building
The public safety building will house the city's police department's headquarters as well as the administrative offices for the fire department, said WBUR, Boston's NPR station. It is scheduled to open in October.
The statues are being constructed in Italy, and $850,000 in city funds was set aside to pay for the statues, noted WBUR.
Gilly Rosenthol, one of the plaintiffs, said in the ACLU's release that the suit "isn't about opposing anyone's faith," but rather is "about keeping government neutral so that everyone, regardless of what they believe, feels equally welcome and protected."
Aleteia reached out to both Mayor Koch's office and the American Civil Liberties Union for additional comment about the lawsuit.
