Pope Francis has sent a check for $500,000 to Mexican congregations to assist immigrants stuck there from Central America, the Vatican announced. The money, which is part of the pope’s “Peter’s Pence” charity, will be distributed among 27 project in 16 dioceses and used to help provide housing, food and essentials. So far, 13 projects have been approved by the Holy See and a further 14 are under evaluation. The pope has made the plight of migrants one of his priorities, once questioning whether U.S. President Donald Trump was Christian for promising to build a wall. “Men and women, often with young children, flee poverty and violence, hoping for a better future in the United States. However, the US border remains closed to them,” the pope’s charity said in a statement.