Covid-defying nun toasts 117th birthday with wine and prayer

Published
0

A French nun who is believed to be the world’s second-oldest person was celebrating her 117th birthday in style. There were plans for champagne and red wine, a feast with her favorite dessert, a Mass in her honour, and other treats to toast Sister André’s exceptional longevity through two world wars and a recent coronavirus infection.

“It’s a big day,” David Tavella, the communications manager for the nun’s care home in the southern French city of Toulon, told The Associated Press. “She is in great shape. I went to see her this morning. She is really happy. She wanted me to tell her the schedule for the day again.”

Tavella told French media earlier this week that Sister André tested positive for the coronavirus in mid-January but she had so few symptoms that she didn’t even realise she was infected. Her survival made headlines both in France and beyond.

This photo provided by the Sainte-Catherine Laboure care home communications manager shows Lucile Randon, Sister Andre's birth name, in Toulon, southern France, February 10, 2021. — AP
This photo provided by the Sainte-Catherine Laboure care home communications manager shows Lucile Randon, Sister Andre's birth name, in Toulon, southern France, February 10, 2021. — AP

Opinion

Editorial

After the talks
Updated 05 Oct, 2026

After the talks

Considering how close they came to a solution, govt and opposition teams should reconvene to give the talks another chance.
Child safety online
Updated 05 Oct, 2026

Child safety online

Pakistani children are spending more of their lives online, but the safeguards around them are not keeping pace.
Rising public debt
05 Oct, 2026

Rising public debt

Pakistan’s public debt has surged by 76pc to Rs86.7tr in four years, according to a new government report.
Yemen offensive
Updated 04 Oct, 2026

Yemen offensive

The best option, therefore, is for Muslim and Arab states to help restore the Saudi-Houthi ceasefire.
Growth transition
04 Oct, 2026

Growth transition

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent call to move from stabilisation to growth, job creation and export ...
Protection at risk
04 Oct, 2026

Protection at risk

THE recent warning from UNHCR should alarm donor governments. Nearly 8.3m refugees and other forcibly displaced...