BATON ROUGE, La (WVLA) – A delegation from the U.S. state of Louisiana was among the special guests meeting with Pope Francis during his general audience on Wednesday.

Led by Gov. John Bel Edwards, the delegation asked the Pope to bless the pioneering work that is going on in Louisiana to prevent human trafficking and to protect victims who’ve been trapped in this modern day slavery.

That work includes special training for police officers and the opening of a shelter for sixteen young women in a secure location near the city of Baton Rouge.