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Inah Canabarro, a Brazilian nun, has become the world’s oldest living person at almost 117 years old. LongeviQuest, a group tracking supercentenarians, declared her the oldest person with validated records on Saturday. Tomiko Itooka of Japan, the previous oldest person, died in December.
Who is Inah Canabarro?
Inah Canabarro was born on June 8, 1908, in southern Brazil, according to LongeviQuest. However, her nephew, Cleber Canabarro, 84, says she was actually born on May 27 but was registered two weeks later. She currently lives in a retirement home in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Canabarro’s great-grandfather was a Brazilian general who had taken up arms during the turbulent period following Brazil’s independence from Portugal in the 19th century.
Cleber Canabarro said Inah was frail as a child, and many did not think she would survive her childhood.
Inah Canabarro became a nun as a teenager, working in Uruguay and Rio de Janeiro before returning to Rio Grande do Sul. She taught General João Figueiredo, Brazil’s last military dictator, and started two marching bands.
‘I’m young, pretty’
“I’m young, pretty and friendly – all very good, positive qualities that you have too,” Canabarro said in a video recorded by LongeviQuest in February. She attributes her long life to her Catholic faith. The video shows her telling jokes, displaying miniature paintings of wildflowers, and reciting the Hail Mary.
Her nephew visits her every Saturday and sends voice messages between visits to lift her spirits after two hospitalizations left her weak and struggling to talk.
“The other sisters say she gets a jolt when she hears my voice,” Cleber says. “She gets excited.”
Canabarro is a fan of the local soccer club, Inter. “White or black, rich or poor, whoever you are, Inter is the team of the people,” she said in a video celebrating her 116th birthday.
Inah Canabarro is the second-oldest nun ever recorded. Pope Francis also honored her for her 110th birthday. She now ranks as the 20th oldest documented person ever. Jeanne Calment of France, who died in 1997 at age 122, topped the list.
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