The world’s oldest living person, Brazilian nun Inah Lucas, has died at the age of 116, just months after assuming the global title in January 2025. Her passing was confirmed on Wednesday by the Congregation of Teresian Sisters and leading longevity research organizations.

Lucas, who was born on June 8, 1908, in Brazil, passed away peacefully in Porto Alegre, where she spent the final years of a life defined by faith, resilience, and service.

Joining the convent in 1934, during the tense interwar period, Lucas dedicated over nine decades to the religious life. Her religious order paid tribute to her unwavering commitment, thanking her for the “dedication and devotion” she demonstrated throughout her lifetime.

Though frail at birth and not expected to survive infancy, Lucas defied all odds. Her life attracted the attention of gerontologists and religious communities around the world. Longevity researchers from LongeviQuest and the Gerontological Research Group (GRG) confirmed her age and legacy.

“She often attributed her long life to her deep faith,” said Robert Young, director of the GRG. “She once said, ‘He is the secret of life. He is the secret of everything,’ referring to God.”

Lucas became the world’s oldest verified living person following the death of Tomiko Itooka of Japan, who was also 116 when she died earlier this year. She now ranks as the 15th-oldest documented person in history, and the second-oldest nun ever, following France’s Lucile Randon, who lived to 118 and died in 2023.

There had been some confusion about her birthdate—Lucas herself once claimed to have been born on May 27, 1908, but researchers confirmed the official date as June 8, 1908 based on civil records.

In 2018, she was honored with a papal blessing from Pope Francis on her 110th birthday. Coincidentally, the late pope died just last week at the age of 88.

With Lucas’s passing, the mantle of world’s oldest living person now shifts to Ethel Caterham, a 115-year-old resident of Surrey, England, according to GRG and LongeviQuest records.

Lucas’s funeral is expected to be held in Porto Alegre, where tributes have already begun pouring in from across Brazil and beyond, celebrating a life that spanned two world wars, three pandemics, and 25 papacies—a true testament to endurance and faith.