Overview

• Thomas P. Koch made the comment during a WBZ News Radio interview about a plan to place Catholic saint statues on Quincy's public safety building.
• Koch later apologized at City Hall, saying, "Those I did offend. I apologize," while insisting he takes child abuse seriously.
• Attorney Mitchell Garabedian called the assertion baseless and said he will invite Koch to meet survivors to hear their experiences.
• Advocacy groups including SNAP and Voice of the Faithful cited research and medical consensus rejecting any link between homosexuality and pedophilia, noting the John Jay report’s average victim age of 12.6.
• Koch also claimed media singled out the Church and suggested higher abuse rates among teachers and coaches; the lawsuit over the statues remains pending in Norfolk Superior Court, and a separate drive to challenge his 79% pay raise appears headed for the ballot.