World’s oldest person identified as a football-loving nun

A football-loving Brazilian nun is believed to have become the world’s oldest living person at almost 117, attributing her longevity to her steadfast Catholic faith.

LongeviQuest, an organization that tracks supercentenarians around the world, released a statement Saturday declaring Sister Inah Canabarro the world’s oldest person, confirmed by records of her life.

The now wheelchair-bound nun was crowned the world’s oldest living person after Tomiko Itooka died in Japan at the age of 116 on December 26, 2024.

Her nephew spends time with her every Saturday and sends her voice messages between visits to keep her spirits up after the elderly woman was hospitalized twice.

“The other sisters say she gets shaken when she hears my voice,” he said. “She’s excited.”

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Canabarro was born June 8, 1908, into a large family in southern Brazil, according to LongeviQuest researchers. But her nephew said her birth was registered two weeks late and that she was actually born on May 27, 1908.

When she was a teenager, she turned to religious work and spent two years in Montevideo, Uruguay, before moving to Rio de Janeiro and eventually settling in her home state of Rio Grande do Sul.

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On her 110th birthday, she was honored by Pope Francis. She is the second oldest nun ever documented after Lucile Randon, who was the oldest person in the world until her death in 2023 at the age of 118.

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In addition to her commitment to her lifelong faith, she is dedicated to the local football club, Inter. The club, founded after Canabarro’s birth, celebrates his birthday every year as its oldest supporter.

His room is decorated with gifts in the team’s red and white colors, his nephew said.

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“White or black, rich or poor, whoever you are, Inter is the people’s team,” she said in a video posted on social media celebrating her 116th birthday with the club president.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.