Quincy mayor apologizes for, then defends comments about clergy sexual abuse

Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch has defended comments he made this week that the clergy sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Archdiocese of Boston in the early 2000s was more about homosexuality than pedophilia, and saying abuse happens at a higher rate among "teachers and coaches" than within the church.

Koch, a devout Catholic, told WBZ radio host Dan Rea on Monday that the scandal involved "mostly homosexuality issues, not pedophilia."

When Rea pushed back, saying many of the victims were in their teens, Koch doubled down.

"Well, pedophilia is a younger age than teenager, but that's another issue for another day,” he said.

Koch also blamed the media for focusing on priests.

“The church was not very popular with the secular media, and so they took a beating," Koch said. "You don't read about it every day when it happens around the country in other circumstances. It's bad and evil in any circumstance.”

The comments from Quincy's seven-term mayor sparked a firestorm on social media. His claim that abuse happens at a higher rate among teachers and coaches led the city's teachers union to demand a retraction and apology, saying the comments were grossly irresponsible.

Koch sought to clarify his remarks during Wednesday's Quincy School Committee meeting, saying he hadn't been prepared to talk about clergy abuse during the WBZ segment.

"I was invited to be on to discuss statues," he said, referring to two statues of Catholic saints the city commissioned at his request to adorn the city's new police and fire headquarters. "I didn't know there'd be other issues that would be thrown my way."

Koch went on to say he referenced teachers and coaches as an example to show that abuse affects all of society, before apologizing to "every teacher, coach, anyone that was offended by my remarks."

"I take responsibility for it and I apologize for it. And the same goes for members of our gay community," Koch said.

But Koch went on, defending his comments on the significance of homosexuality in clergy abuse, saying most cases have involved homosexuality while only a small percentage involved pedophilia.

A 2004 study commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops found that 81% of alleged abuse victims were male. Half were between the ages of 11 and 14.

"If you abuse a child who's under 15 years old, that's called pedophilia," said Boston-based attorney Mitchell Garabedian.

Since 1994, Garabedian said he’s represented more than 1,000 clergy abuse victims in Massachusetts, in cases involving hundreds of priests. He said Koch is splitting hairs over the definition of child sex abuse: “It's an insult to the gay community. It's an insult to survivors, and it's an insult to anyone's intelligence to believe what he is saying."

Garabedian said he'd like to sit down with the mayor over coffee to discuss clergy abuse.

Koch’s office did not say whether the mayor would accept the invitation.

Union head Gayle Carvalho said she appreciates Koch's apology, but noted the mayor hasn't retracted his comments.

"The words were incredibly damaging, and the idea that we’re going to perpetuate those stereotypes undermines trust in our schools and our educators," she said.

In a statement provided to WBUR, Koch again expressed remorse about his comments.

"I know better and will do better," he wrote. "I am proud of my faith, and the essence of that faith is to love one another and not judge – my words failed that standard here."