The 116 years old nun is in the habit of living well.
Following the recent death of a woman from Japan, Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas—a soccer-loving nun from Brazil—has become the oldest living person at 116 years old and 210 days, the Guinness World Records confirmed.
While the Brazilian native, whom the record book has also dubbed the oldest nun, is the newest title holder, the news came as a shock to her family, with her 84-year-old nephew telling the Associated Press that Canabarro was so skinny growing up that many didn’t think she would survive childhood.
As for the secret to her longevity? Canabarro chalks it up to her devout faith in God.
“He is the secret to life,” she told LongeviQuest, an organization dedicated to tracking the world’s oldest people, in February 2024. “He is the secret of everything.”
Canabarro was born on June 8, 1908 in southern Brazil, according to LongeviQuest researchers, to parents João Antônio Lucas and Mariana Canabarro Lucas, and is the great-granddaughter of Brazilian General David Canabarro.
She began her religious journey as a teenager, studying at the Santa Teresa de Jesus boarding school in Sant’Ana do Livramento, Rio Grande do Sul. In her early twenties, she moved to Montevideo, Uruguay where she was baptized to the Catholic Church, before eventually returning to Brazil and becoming a teacher.
According to LongeviQuest, in July 1934 at the age of 26, she took her perpetual vows and became a nun, and in 2018—in celebration of her 110th birthday—she was honored by Pope Francis.
However, besides her Catholic faith, Canabarro has another passion: Soccer.
Indeed, she is a devoted supporter of Sports Club Internacional—a professional Brazilian soccer club. The Porto-Alegre-based team annually celebrates the birthday of their oldest fan, with her nephew sharing with the Associated Press that her room is decorated with gifts in the team’s signature red and white colors.
But what does Canabarro like most about the team? Its power to bring people together.
“White or black, rich or poor,” she said in a video posted to social media celebrating her 116th birthday in June 2024. “Inter is the team of the people.”
