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The world’s oldest living person, Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, has passed away at the age of 116, according to two major longevity tracking organisations. Despite her frail beginnings as an infant, Sister Inah defied expectations and credited her remarkable lifespan to her faith in God.
Following her death on Wednesday, the title of the world’s oldest person now passes to 115-year-old Ethel Caterham, who resides in Surrey, England, according to the US-based Gerontology Research Group (GRG) and the longevity database LongeviQuest.
Sister Inah, born on 8 June 1908, assumed the title earlier this year after the death of 116-year-old Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka. The Congregation of Teresian Sisters of Brazil, based in Porto Alegre, paid tribute to her, expressing gratitude for her lifelong commitment and service.
Despite early doubts about her survival as a child, Sister Inah became a nun in 1934, during the interwar period. LongeviQuest described her as a devoted religious figure who often said, “God is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything.”
She celebrated her 110th birthday with a papal blessing from Pope Francis, who himself passed away last Monday at the age of 88.
Although Sister Inah had personally stated her birthdate as 27 May 1908, official records confirmed it as 8 June 1908, said GRG director Robert Young. She is now recognised as the 15th-oldest verified person in recorded history and the second-oldest nun, behind French Sister Lucile Randon, who died in 2023 at 118.
