World’s oldest living person, a Brazilian nun, passes away at the age of 116
The title of the oldest living person is now held by Ethel Caterham, a 115-year-old resident of Surrey, England.
The world’s oldest person, Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 116. She had a challenging start to life, having narrowly survived infancy, and credited her long lifespan to God.
This information was confirmed by her religious order and two longevity tracking organizations. The title of the oldest living person now goes to Ethel Caterham, a 115-year-old resident of Surrey, England, as reported by the US Gerontological Research Group (GRG) and the LongeviQuest database.
Born on June 8, 1908, Canabarro became the oldest person in the world following the passing of 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka from Japan in January.
On Wednesday, the Congregation of Teresian Sisters of Brazil in Porto Alegre released a statement announcing Canabarro’s death, expressing gratitude for her “dedication and devotion” throughout her life. In her obituary, LongeviQuest noted that Canabarro had been a delicate child, leading many to doubt her chances of survival.
She entered the convent and became a nun in 1934 at the age of 26, during the period between World War I and World War II.
Canabarro credited her long life to God, stating, “He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything,” as reported by LongeviQuest.
To celebrate her 110th birthday, she received a blessing from Pope Francis, who passed away just last Monday at the age of 88. While she had claimed her birth date was May 27, 1908, GRG director Robert Young confirmed that her official birth date is June 8, 1908, according to existing records, as he mentioned to AFP in January.
LongeviQuest also noted that Canabarro was the 15th-oldest documented person in history and the second-oldest nun, following France’s Lucile Randon, who lived to be 118 and died in 2023.
