Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Batanes

The Territorial Prelature of Batanes (in Praelatura Territorialis Batanensis) is a Latin Church pre-diocesan, non-missionary jurisdiction of the Catholic Church. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao on Luzon island in the Philippines. The Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral is the episcopal seat of the territorial prelate, in Basco, Batanes. The current bishop-prelate is Danilo B. Ulep.

History
The prelature was erected on 30 November 1950 as Territorial Prelature of Batanes Islands and Babuyan / Batanen(sis) et Babuyanen(sis) (Latin), on territory split off from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Manila. On 29 June 1951 it became part of the ecclesiastical province of Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia. It became suffragan of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, its mother see on 21 September 1974. On 6 February 2002 renamed Territorial Prelature of Batanes / Batanen(sis) (Latin adjective).

Coat of arms
The silver crescent symbolizes the Immaculate Conception, the titular of the principal church in the prelature. The North Star together with the constellation of the Ursa major denotes that the prelature covers the northern-most part of the Philippines. Cattle is the most important export product of Batanes and Babuyan Islands hence the bull on pasture. The agitated sea symbolizes the dangerous waters between these islands.

Episcopal ordinaries

 * Prelates of Batanes and the Babuyan Islands


 * Prelates of Batanes

Sources and external links

 * GCatholic.org
 * Catholic Hierarchy
 * Prelature website