Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Batanes

Territorial Prelature of Batanes

Praelatura Territorialis Batanensis

Prelatura Teritoryal ng Batanes
Prelatura Territorial de Batanes
Basco Cathedral
Coat of arms
Location
Country Philippines
Territory Batanes
Metropolitan Tuguegarao
Statistics
Area 784 km2 (303 sq mi)
Population
- Total
- Catholics		 (as of 2021)
18,996
17,667 (93.0%)
Information
Denomination Roman Catholic
Sui iuris church Latin Church
Rite Roman Rite
Cathedral Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Current leadership
Pope Francis
Prelate Danilo B. Ulep
Metropolitan Archbishop Ricardo L. Baccay

The Territorial Prelature of Batanes (in Latin: Praelatura Territorialis Batanensis) is a Latin rite pre-diocesan, non-missionary jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church. It is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Roman Catholic 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

(all Roman Rite)

Prelates of Batanes and the Babuyan Islands
Ordinary Period in Office Coat of Arms
1. Peregrin de la Fuente Nestar 2 July 1951 Appointed- 14 May 1966 Death
2. Mario de Leon Baltazar 18 Nov 1966 Appointed - 1995 Resigned
Prelates of Batanes
Bishop-Prelates Period in Office Coat of Arms
1. Jose Paala Salazar 25 Apr 1996 Appointed - 23 Nov 2002
2. Camilo Diaz Gregorio 13 Sept 2003 Appointed - 20 May 2017 Retired
3. Danilo B. Ulep 20 May 2017 Appointed– Present

See also