A football fan A nun from Brazil is believed to have become the world’s oldest living person at almost 117 years old, crediting her steadfast Catholic faith with her longevity.
LongeviQuest, an organization that tracks supercentenarians around the world, released a statement Saturday declaring Sister Inah Canabarro as the world’s oldest person, confirmed by early life data.
The now wheelchair-bound nun was crowned the world’s oldest living person after Tomiko Iooka died in Japan on December 26, 2024 at the age of 116.
Her cousin spends time with her every Saturday, sending her voice messages between visits to keep her spirits up after the elderly woman had two hospital stays.
“The other sisters say she gets a shock when she hears my voice,” he said. “She gets excited.”
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Sister Inah Canabarro joins her hands in prayer in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on February 16, 2024. (Carlos Macedo/LongeviQuest, via AP)
Canabarro was born on June 8, 1908 into a large family in the south of Brazilaccording to LongeviQuest researchers. But her nephew said her birth was declared 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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For her 110th birthday, she was honored by Pope Francis. She is the second-oldest nun ever documented, after Lucile Randon, who was the oldest 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 in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on October 29, 2023. (Riccardo De Luca/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Together with her commitment to her lifelong faith, she is committed to the local football club Inter. The club, founded after Canabarro’s birth, celebrates its birthday every year as the oldest fan.
Her room is decorated with gifts in the team’s red and white colors, her cousin said.
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“White or black, rich or poor, whoever you are, Inter is the people’s team,” she said in an interview video posted on social media celebrates its 116th birthday with the club’s president.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
