Boma Achenimie 
Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, recognized as the world’s oldest living person, has passed away at the age of 116.
Her death was confirmed on Wednesday by her religious congregation and longevity tracking organizations.
Sister Inah, a member of the Congregation of Teresian Sisters in Porto Alegre, died just months after attaining the global title of the oldest person, following the death of Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka, also aged 116, in January.
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Born on June 8, 1908, Lucas became a nun in 1934 at the age of 26, dedicating over nine decades of her life to spiritual service. Her religious community expressed deep gratitude for her unwavering devotion and exemplary life of faith.
“She was a beacon of humility, prayer, and commitment,” the Congregation said in a tribute.
Lucas’ extraordinary longevity drew interest from both religious and scientific communities. The global longevity organization LongeviQuest noted that she was born frail and her survival was initially uncertain. Yet, she went on to live more than a century, frequently crediting her endurance to her spiritual convictions.
“He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything,” Lucas once said, referring to God.
Although she believed her birthdate to be May 27, 1908, researchers confirmed her official date of birth as June 8, 1908, according to the Gerontological Research Group.
In 2018, on her 110th birthday, she received a papal blessing from Pope Francis, who himself passed away last week at age 88.
Lucas is now recognized as the 15th-oldest person in recorded history and the second-oldest nun ever, behind Lucile Randon of France, who lived to 118 and passed in 2023.
Following Sister Inah’s passing, Ethel Caterhama, a 115-year-old resident of Surrey, England, has been officially named the world’s oldest living person by LongeviQuest.
