Church Basel Catholics support pastoral care for sex workers

At its meeting on Tuesday evening, the synod of the Roman Catholic Church of Basel-Stadt approved the continuation of pastoral care for sex workers by a large majority. The contract for the "Pastoral care in taboo areas" (Sita) project will therefore be extended by three years.

Sita accompanies sex workers and has also been seeking to talk to clients since July of this year. A theologian has a 40 percent workload and is supported in her work by a volunteer, according to the church's press release.

Sita has been run jointly by the Roman Catholic churches of Basel-Stadt and Baselland since 2022. The current contract expires at the end of the year.

The Basel-Stadt church parliament already approved a contract extension in June. From January 2025 until the end of 2027, the churches of both Basel cantons will each support the department to the tune of CHF 48,000 per year, according to the statement.

The position has existed since 2016 and the theologian in charge of the workload visits women in the red-light district. The aim is to offer them a safe space for conversations, prayers and blessings, according to the Sita website. The church also works together with other support services for sex workers.