Sister Inah Canabarro, a soccer-loving nun from Brazil, has become the world’s oldest living person at almost 117 years old following the recent death of a woman from Japan. Despite being skinny growing up, Canabarro was believed to have a strong will to survive. LongeviQuest, an organization that tracks supercentenarians, declared her the oldest person based on early life records. Canabarro attributes her longevity to her Catholic faith and positive qualities. She enjoys painting, reciting prayers, and telling jokes to visitors at her retirement home in Porto Alegre.
Her nephew, who visits her regularly, sends her voice messages to lift her spirits following two hospitalizations that left her weak. Canabarro was born in 1908 to a large family in southern Brazil and had a famous great-grandfather who was a Brazilian general. She spent her life as a teacher, even teaching future Brazilian military dictators. For her 110th birthday, she was honored by Pope Francis. Canabarro is the second oldest documented nun in history. She is a dedicated fan of the local soccer club Inter, who celebrates her birthday each year. Her room is decorated in the team’s colors, and she has been featured in videos celebrating her birthday with the club president.
Since the recent death of Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, Canabarro is now recognized as the oldest living person in the world and ranks as the 20th oldest documented person in history. The oldest person ever documented is Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who lived to be 122.
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