(CNN) Pope Francis donated $500,000 to aid migrants in Mexico, the Vatican announced Saturday.

The money will be used for housing, food and necessities for the Central American migrants. The funds will be split among 27 projects in 16 Mexican dioceses and religious congregations, according to the release.

"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," Peter's Pence, the Pope's charity, said in a statement.

The near 75,000 migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala that arrived in Mexico in caravans have been "stranded, unable to enter the United States, without a home or livelihood," the Vatican said.

The Catholic Church said it hosts thousands of these migrants in hotels within dioceses or congregations.

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