MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Oldest person on earth dies aged 116 in Brazil

Sister Inah was a fan of Porto Alegre's Sport Club Internacional (Inter)

Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, the world's oldest person, died at 116 on Wednesday in Porto Alegre, due to multiple organ dysfunction. Born on June 8, 1908, she dedicated her life to religious service as a teacher and secretary with the Teresian Sisters. She attributed her longevity to her faith in God and was known for her love of barbecue, football (supporting Sport Club Internacional), and painting. In 2018, she received an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis.

Canabarro, the second-longest-living nun in history after Lucile Randon reached the age of 118, became the oldest person alive after the death in January of the Japanese Tomiko Itooka, also at the age of 116.

“On this day, may the resurrection embrace Sister Inah Canabarro, we give thanks for the dedication and devotion, we ask that the Lord, Father of goodness, receive her and welcome her in his infinite love,” the Congregation of the Teresian Sisters of Brazil said in a statement. Her death certificate reads “multiple organic dysfunction.”

The title of the world's oldest person was passed on to Ethel Caterham from Surrey, England. aged 115 years and 252 days, according to the US gerontology research group (GRG) and LongeviQuest.

Canabarro was born in the city of San Francisco de Asís, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (south). Her health was fragile during her childhood, according to her biography on the LongeviQuest website. At the age of 16, she had her religious initiation in a Teresian school in Santana do Livramento, on the border with Uruguay, before living briefly in Montevideo. She was ordained a nun at the age of 26 and had a long career of religious service as a teacher and secretary.

Asked about the reasons for her longevity, she attributed it to God. “He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything,” she said. It was only at the age of 106 that she underwent her first surgery: a cataract operation.