Sister Andre is also the world’s oldest living nun and the world’s oldest nun, according to a statement released by the record-breaking body on Monday.
Born Lucille Randon on February 11, 1904, Sister Andre devoted most of her life to religious service, the statement said. Before becoming a Catholic nun, she cared for children during World War II and then spent 28 years caring for orphans and the elderly in hospital.
Sister Andre, who lives near the French city of Toulon, is also the world’s oldest survivor of Covid-19. A statement from the Guinness Book of World Records said she tested positive for the virus in early 2021, but fully recovered within three weeks, just in time for her 117th birthday.
In an interview with the French television channel RMC Story on Tuesday, it seems that Sister Andre has mixed feelings about becoming the new oldest living person.
“I feel better in heaven, but the good Lord still doesn’t want me,” she said, calling the title “sad honor.”
However, she also expressed her joy that she was “pampered” by her family.
Sister Andre enjoys chocolate and wine – and drinks a glass every day – at her Résidence Catherine Labouré nursing home, she confirmed to CNN on Tuesday.
When she turned 118 earlier this year, the elderly nun received a handwritten birthday note from French President Emmanuel Macron – the 18th French president in her lifetime – according to a tweet from the nursing home. There are also 10 different popes who have chaired the Catholic Church since it was born.
Sister Andre became the oldest in the world after the death of Kane Tanaka, a Japanese woman who was previously certified as the oldest person in the world, who died at the age of 119 on April 19.
The title of the oldest man ever recorded also belongs to a Frenchwoman. Born on February 21, 1875, Jeanne Louise Kalman’s life lasted 122 years and 164 days, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
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