A Norfolk Superior Court judge heard arguments Friday and will soon rule on whether Quincy can place two large religious statues at the entrance to a new public safety building. 

The ACLU is representing Quincy residents of different religious faiths who say installing the statues would violate the Massachusetts Constitution. Others criticize the cost, which is more than $800,000.

The city counters that the 10-foot-tall statues of St. Michael and St. Florian, the patron saints of police and fire departments, are important symbols to first responders.

"Alarming message"

At the hearing Friday, ACLU of Massachusetts attorney Rachel Davidson argued putting the statues outside a government facility "sends an alarming message that those who do not subscribe to the City's preferred religious beliefs are second-class residents who should not feel safe, welcomed, or equally respected by their government."

"This is the public safety building, and it's supposed to be a place where everybody feels comfortable and safe and protected by their government," Davidson told WBZ-TV. "The plaintiffs here have joined together to vindicate our state constitution."

In the complaint, plaintiff Claire Fitzmaurice, who was raised Catholic but left the Church when she was young, says the presence of the statues would have the effect of elevating one religion over others.

"Ms. Fitzmaurice believes that the statues -in particular, the violent imagery of Saint Michael stepping on the head of a human-like demon - will violate her religious commitment to peace activism," the lawsuit states.

Another resident named in the lawsuit, Kathleen Geragthy, is a practicing Catholic and says she finds the statues to be "alienating and divisive."

"As someone who is both Catholic and believes that religious imagery should not be displayed on public buildings, she feels that the City's actions have put her in the uncomfortable position of needing to speak out against statues of Catholic figures," the lawsuit states.

Mayor, city solicitor defend statues

Speaking to WBZ-TV back in February, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch defended the statues as public art that honors police and firefighters. And in an affidavit filed with the court, he asserts "there was nothing religious" about the statue selections.

"The selection had nothing to do with Catholic sainthood, but rather was an effort to boost morale and to symbolize the values of truth, justice, and the prevalence of good over evil," Koch wrote. "If Michael and Florian did not have significance in the police and fire service, respectively, I would not have selected them for installation."

Quincy fire and police leaders say the primary purpose of the statues is not to advance any particular religion.

"The Proposed Statue of Florian is important to me and Quincy Fire because it depicts what we do every day, the virtues that are most important in our work: honor, courage, bravery," veteran Quincy firefighter Tomas Bowes wrote in a court filing.

"There's more to it, there's broader dimension to this whole discussion," said Quincy City Solicitor James Timmins, who represented the city in asking for the suit to be dismissed.

The lawsuit is seeking to prohibit Quincy from displaying the statues at the new public safety building and stopping the city from spending any more taxpayer funds on them. 

Statues set for delivery

While both sides await a ruling from the judge expected in the next couple weeks, Timmins said the city has already purchased and is awaiting the delivery of the statues in the coming days.

"We're putting them up there because they're patron saints. I don't know that there's another place for them to go. So we'll have to address that if it plays out that way," Timmins said when asked if they are looking at what could happen if the judge issues an injunction.

The ACLU responding by saying the city could find another home for them at a private or religious institution.

"That is a little down the road, but, you know, there are remedies that could be explored, including selling the statues, finding a home for them, perhaps with a religious organization," said Davidson. "There are still likely perhaps hundreds of thousand dollars that need to be spent to affix the statues to the building. So there are still funds that haven't been spent, and we'd like to stop those from being spent."

WBZ-TV's Aaron Parseghian contributed to this report.