Nearly a week after the passing of the world’s oldest person, a nonprofit dedicated to documenting the oldest individuals has introduced the new title-holder.
At 116 years old, Inah Canabarro Lucas is now recognized as the oldest person in the world and holds the distinction of being the 20th oldest person in recorded history.
The confirmation was announced by LongeviQuest, the organization that monitors such records, on Saturday.
Lucas’s recognition follows the death of 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka from Japan, who passed away from natural causes on December 29.
After her death, the title of Japan’s oldest living person went to 115-year-old Okagi Hayashi, residing in Gifu Prefecture.
Lucas, who celebrated her 110th birthday in 2018, received an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis along with a certificate, according to LongeviQuest.
She has been acknowledged multiple times for her remarkable age, including: January 2, 2022 – Oldest Brazilian ecclesiastical person ever; January 23, 2022 – Oldest documented living person in Brazil; July 30, 2022 – Oldest validated living person in South and Latin America; February 16, 2024 – Brazil’s oldest living person.
Lucas is also recognized as the second oldest nun in documented history, following Lucile Randon, also known as Sister André of France, who passed away in January 2023 at the age of 118 years and 340 days.
According to LongeviQuest, Lucas is the last known living person born in 1908.Nun began her life of faith at 16 years oldLucas was born on June 8, 1908, in São Francisco de Assis, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, as reported by LongeviQuest.
Initially, her birth date was recorded as May 27, 1908, but researchers have determined it is likely 11 days later.
LongeviQuest noted that Lucas had a difficult start in life, being so underweight that many believed she would not survive childhood.
As the great-granddaughter of General David Canabarro, a leader in the Ragamuffin War, Lucas began her education at the Santa Teresa de Jesus boarding school in Santana do Livramento, Rio Grande do Sul, at the age of 16, according to LongeviQuest.
She was baptized in Santana do Livramento when she was 17. Later, she moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where she was confirmed in the Catholic Church on October 1, 1929, at the age of 21.
The following year, she returned to Brazil to teach Portuguese and mathematics at a school in Tijuca, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, as reported by LongeviQuest.
She renewed her vows for the first time three years later in Rio de Janeiro and again in 1933.
In July 1934, at the age of 26, Lucas took her perpetual vows and officially became a nun, according to LongeviQuest.
Throughout her life, she has worked as a teacher, professor, and secretary, retiring in 1995, as stated by the organization.
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