Vatican City, Apr 17, 2017 / 03:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- At his birthday party on Monday, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI told his guests that “My heart is full of gratitude for the 90 years which the good God has given me.”

The April 17 gathering at the Vatican's Mater Ecclesiae Monastery was held in observance of Benedict's 90th birthday, which fell on Easter Sunday, the day prior.