Football lover A nun from Brazil is believed to have become the world’s oldest living person at nearly 117, crediting her steadfast Catholic faith for her longevity.
LongeviQuest, an organization that tracks supercentenarians around the world, released a statement Saturday naming Sister Inah Canabarro as the world’s oldest person, as confirmed by early life records.
A nun who is now wheelchair-bound has been crowned the world’s oldest living person after Tomiko Itooka died in Japan aged 116 on December 26, 2024.
Her nephew spends time with her every Saturday and sends her voice messages between visits to keep her spirits up after the old woman was hospitalized twice.
“The other sisters say she flinches when she hears my voice,” he said. – She gets excited.
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In this photo released by LongeviQuest, Sister Inah Canabarro, 116, folds her hands in prayer, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Carlos Macedo/LongeviQuest, via AP)
Canabarro was born on June 8, 1908 in a large family in southern Brazilaccording to LongeviQuest researchers. But her nephew said that her birth was registered two weeks late and that she was actually born on May 27, 1908.
When she was a teenager, she turned to religious work and spent two years there in Montevideo, Uruguaybefore moving to Rio de Janeiro and eventually settling in her home state of Rio Grande do Sul.
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Pope Francis honored her for her 110th birthday. She is the second oldest abbess ever documented after Lucile Randon, who was the oldest living person in the world until her death in 2023 at the age of 118.
Pope Francis holds a rosary during the closing Mass of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on October 29, 2023. (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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With her dedication her life faith, is dedicated to the local football club Inter. The club, which was founded after the birth of Canabarro, celebrates her birthday every year as the oldest cheerleader.
Her room is decorated with gifts in the team’s red and white colors, her nephew said.
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“White or black, rich or poor, whoever you are, Inter is a team of people,” she said video posted on social networks at the celebration of the 116th birthday with the president of the club.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
