Before he was a bishop, James Conley was a priest living in Rome when he got to see one of the great theological masters at work.
It was 1998 and Conley was working in one of the Vatican's administrative departments. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — then the prefect of the Vatican body responsible for defending Catholic doctrine — had called a meeting of all the bishops of Australia to settle a theological dispute.
Conley was on hand for the meeting, albeit in a behind-the-scenes role.
"I was basically making sure everybody's water was full," Conley, who later became bishop of Lincoln, recalled in a phone interview. "Taking copies and transcribing."
But even from that vantage point, he got to see Ratzinger — who later became Pope Benedict XVI — in action.
"He was really just a marvel to witness," Conley said. "His ability to engage with people and remember things people said and remember names was just amazing."
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Conley and his predecessor, Bishop Emeritus Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, both had numerous interactions with Benedict, who died Dec. 31 nearly 10 years after he became the first pontiff in 600 years to step down. He was 95.
Benedict — who was succeeded by Pope Francis — cited his advancing age and deteriorating health at the time.
"He really represents the last of the great spiritual leaders of our world in the last 50 years," Conley said. "I think it's kind of the end of an era."
During his time at the Vatican, Conley ran into then-Cardinal Ratzinger a number of times, including during his daily strolls in St. Peter's Square. He remembers him not as the intimidating, doctrinal enforcer from Germany many portrayed him as, Conley said, but as a "gentle, wise and humble man" who had a great sense of humor.
Benedict would eventually appoint Conley as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Denver in 2008. Then, in 2012, he moved him to Lincoln to take over for the retiring Bruskewitz, who first met Benedict in 1965 at the Second Vatican Council.
Bruskewitz, who was ordained a priest in 1960, had been conscripted to stay in Rome and help translate documents and distribute ballots at the church council, where Benedict served as a theological adviser.
Then as bishop, Bruskewitz would have a number of interactions with the pope, whether on visits to Rome or over the phone. Occasionally, Benedict would even ask Bruskewitz for advice. For example, he asked Bruskewitz to translate the "Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic" from Latin to English.
"We had our discussions. Sometimes in English, sometimes in German," said Bruskewitz, who learned the language growing up in Milwaukee. "We got on quite well and he was always kind and deferential to me."
The talks weren't always theological, though.
"In Regensburg, his hometown ... there's a card game that came from there that's kind of unique to Regensburg called 'Schafkopf' in German ('Sheep's Head'). There are many people in Milwaukee who came from that area of Bavaria and as a result, we also played Sheep's Head. So we would discuss Sheep's Head sometimes."
Benedict also sent Bruskewitz a letter of congratulations on the 50th anniversary of his ordination, which he still has along with photos of him and the late pontiff that he keeps in his house.
The Vatican will hold Benedict's funeral Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Rome time.
Conley himself will celebrate a special Mass at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ at a future date for Benedict. Priests in the Diocese of Lincoln are also encouraged to hold a special Mass at their individual parishes.
"He was one of the last true renaissance men of our age," Conley said. "He was a pianist, a great theologian, writer, great master of languages. More important than his intellect, though, was his holiness. He was a man who was very close to God and a man who had a deep, deep faith."