The Most Rev. Mark Brennan, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, speaks at a press conference Tuesday about his plan to seek apologies and restitution from former bishop Michael Bransfield.

Pope Francis was someone who loved all people, including those who may be on the margins, according to the Bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese.

The Most Rev. Mark Brennan, Bishop of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese, discussed the passing Monday of Pope Francis at age 88, and what the Pope meant to Catholics around the world and society as a whole. Brennan said Francis was much like Pope John Paul II, who loved meeting and talking with people from all walks of life.

He made his impact felt in the Ohio Valley as well, Brennan said.

“I think he is a sign of hope and a real respect for people who are, in a sense, on the margins,” Brennan said. “Many of our folks up in this part of the state, eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, where my mom was born and raised, are kind of on the margins economically. It’s a wonderful place, but I think in some ways, we’re on the margins in terms of wealth and power.

“I think people in that situation can resonate with a Pope who reached out to people on the margins in many different ways,” Brennan added. “I think overall, he was so well-respected and loved by our people.”

Brennan said that Pope Francis showed that no one should be absent of God’s love, even those who have made mistakes in their lives. He said the Pope would show that through actions as well as words.

“He would go to a prison, which is near the seminary where I studied in Rome,” he said. “He’d visit there and wash people’s feet on Holy Thursday, at that Mass. I think that legacy will continue. I think whoever’s elected Pope later will be conscious that the Pope has to be someone who really cares about people who are suffering.”

Brennan said a memorial Mass is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the Cathedral of St. Joseph at 1300 Eoff St. in Wheeling. All are welcome, and the Mass also will be live streamed at dwc.org.