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| AP Photo |
Inah Canabarro Lucas, a Brazilian nun recognized as the world’s oldest living person, has died at the age of 116 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Her death was confirmed on Wednesday by the Congregation of Teresian Sisters of Brazil and longevity researchers, who paid tribute to her remarkable "dedication and devotion" throughout her life.
Born on June 8, 1908, Lucas lived for 116 years and 326 days. She became a nun in 1934 and spent much of her life as a teacher, dedicating herself to faith and service. Despite being a frail child whom many doubted would survive infancy, Lucas attributed her extraordinary longevity to her faith, often saying, “He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything,” referring to God.
Lucas received a papal blessing from Pope Francis on her 110th birthday in 2018. Notably, Pope Francis himself passed away just days before her. She became the world’s oldest person in January 2025 after the death of Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka, who was also 116.
With Lucas’s passing, the title of the world’s oldest living person now goes to Ethel Caterham, a 115-year-old resident of Surrey, England, according to the US-based Gerontological Research Group and LongeviQuest database.
