One of two Vatican cardinals headed for Ukraine warned against the “perverse work of human traffickers and people seeking to enslave those who are so vulnerable by falsely offering them help and then trapping them.”

Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, the acting Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, also expressed concerns for Africans and Asians who are studying and working in Ukraine. “They, too, are forced to flee, and it’s very important that they receive the same welcome, protection and assistance as everyone else, and so that will be an important point of attention,” he said.