Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, officially recognised as the world’s oldest person, died on Wednesday at the age of 116. Once a fragile infant, she credited her remarkable longevity to God, according to her religious order and longevity researchers.
Following her death, Ethel Caterham from Surrey, England, aged 115, has become the world's oldest living person, as confirmed by the US Gerontological Research Group (GRG) and the LongeviQuest database.
Canabarro, who was born on June 8, 1908, assumed the title of world's oldest person after Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka, also 116, died in January.
The Congregation of Teresian Sisters of Brazil in Porto Alegre issued a statement on Wednesday acknowledging her passing and expressing gratitude for her lifelong "dedication and devotion".
According to LongeviQuest's obituary, Canabarro's survival was uncertain in her early years due to her delicate health.
She took her vows as a nun in 1934 at age 26, during the interwar period.
When asked about her remarkable lifespan, Canabarro pointed to divine providence, stating: "He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything," as recorded by LongeviQuest.
Pope Francis, who himself died last Monday at 88, had bestowed a blessing upon her for her 110th birthday.
While she had maintained her birth date was May 27, 1908, GRG director Robert Young confirmed to AFP in January that official records showed her birth date as June 8, 1908.
LongeviQuest records indicate that Canabarro ranked as the 15th-oldest documented person in history and the second-oldest nun, following French nun Lucile Randon who lived to 118 years and died in 2023.
Following her death, Ethel Caterham from Surrey, England, aged 115, has become the world's oldest living person, as confirmed by the US Gerontological Research Group (GRG) and the LongeviQuest database.
Canabarro, who was born on June 8, 1908, assumed the title of world's oldest person after Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka, also 116, died in January.
The Congregation of Teresian Sisters of Brazil in Porto Alegre issued a statement on Wednesday acknowledging her passing and expressing gratitude for her lifelong "dedication and devotion".
According to LongeviQuest's obituary, Canabarro's survival was uncertain in her early years due to her delicate health.
She took her vows as a nun in 1934 at age 26, during the interwar period.
When asked about her remarkable lifespan, Canabarro pointed to divine providence, stating: "He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything," as recorded by LongeviQuest.
Pope Francis, who himself died last Monday at 88, had bestowed a blessing upon her for her 110th birthday.
While she had maintained her birth date was May 27, 1908, GRG director Robert Young confirmed to AFP in January that official records showed her birth date as June 8, 1908.
LongeviQuest records indicate that Canabarro ranked as the 15th-oldest documented person in history and the second-oldest nun, following French nun Lucile Randon who lived to 118 years and died in 2023.
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