What does the word Vatican mean?

The Catholic Encyclopedia tells us:

"The territory on the right bank of the Tiber between Monte Mario and Gianicolo (Janiculum) was known to antiquity as the Ager Vaticanus, and, owing to its marshy character, the low-lying portion of this district enjoyed an ill repute. The origin of the name Vaticanus is uncertain; some claim that the name comes from a vanished Etruscan town called Vaticum." [Ager in Latin means land]

You may search for the word Vatican in many Latin/English or English/Latin dictionaries, or encyclopedias, and you will likely find that Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica of the Roman Catholic Church were built upon what was called in Latin vaticanus mons or vaticanus collis. The words mons and collis mean hill or mountain. You will also find in the dictionaries that the words vatic/vates/vatis all relate to prophecy as shown here:

Source: The New College Latin and English Dictionary, revised and enlarged, by John C. Traupman, Ph.D., published and copyrighted by Bantam Books, 1995, ISBN 0-553-57301-2, page 437.

Note that there are five words listed above containing vatic, and all relate to prophecy. The word vatic and its association to prophecy can even be found in a standard English dictionary:
Source: Webster's II New Riverside Dictionary, Home and Office Edition, published in 1995 by Longmeadow Press, Copyright 1988 by Houghton Mifflin Company, ISBN 0-681-20227-0, page 458.

And here is what you would find in a Latin/English dictionary for the suffix -anus:
Source: The New College Latin and English Dictionary, revised and enlarged, by John C. Traupman, Ph.D., published and copyrighted by Bantam Books, 1995, ISBN 0-553-57301-2, page 60.

Vaticanus then is a combination of Vatic + anus, just as Romanus is a combination of Rome + anus. Therefore, vaticanus collis or vaticanus mons mean "the prophetic hill or mountain", which can be rephrased as the hill or mountain of prophecy. The word Vatican is just a shortened form of the word Vaticanus, just like Claudian is a shortened form of Claudianus, as shown above. This association of the Vatican with prophecy is even confirmed by Catholics:

Where does the word "Vatican" come from and what does it mean?

The word derives from the Latin vates, which means "tellers of the future." This name was the name given to a hillside on the west bank of the Tiber River in Rome because daily lineups of fortunetellers used to hawk their "wares" there to passersby on the street. In the fourteenth century, when the papacy was returned to Rome from Avignon (France), the present-day Vatican became the residence of the popes, and the word came to refer to the enclave in the middle of Rome that had become the seat of the Roman Catholic Church.
Source: Incredible Book of Vatican Facts and Papal Curiosities, by Nino Lo Bello, Liguori Publications, Copyright 1998, ISBN 0-7648-0171-6, page 135.

Here is a verse from the Latin Vulgate Bible and King James as an example of the use of vatic (emphasis is mine):

Neh.6:12 et intellexi quod Deus non misisset eum sed quasi vaticinans locutus esset ad me et Tobia et Sanaballat conduxissent eum

Neh 6:12 And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

Now, note the following coins minted in Vatican City. The inscription on the reverse side of the coin reads in Italian "CITTÁ DEL VATICANO", which as we can now see, means City of Prophecy.

Pope Pius the 12th - 1958	Pope John the 23rd - 1959
CITTÁ DEL VATICANO - CITY OF PROPHECY
Pope Paul the 6th - 1963

To get a closer look at a coin, click on it.

Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

There is also a woman on the reverse side, and at her feet is her title, FIDES, which means faith. This woman is symbolic of the Roman Catholic faith, or Roman Catholic Church.

This statue is portraying the same symbolism of the Catholic Church or Catholic faith. This statue decorates the monument to Pope Clement IX (1667-69), which was placed in the basilica Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome in 1671.

Interestingly, the word anus in Latin also means "old woman", so Vaticanus is a combination two words that also result in "The Old Woman of Prophecy", this woman being symbolic of the Catholic Church.

From a photo by  Gabinetto Fotographico Nazionale


It is important to note that in the symbolic woman's hand, is a cup, as illustrated above on the coins, and just barely visible with the statue above and at right. The depiction of the Catholic faith (FIDES) as a woman holding a cup appears to be quite common, and yet is apparently unique to the Catholic Church.
There is a remarkable and direct correlation to these depictions of the Catholic faith as a woman, and the woman described in Revelation 17, as will be demonstrated.

Fides in stucco,  Santa Maria Vallicella, Rome.



The Apostate Church

The woman of Revelation 17 represents the apostate church, the direct opposite of the true church represented by the woman of Revelation 12.

Rev 17:1 ...Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

Church and State

Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

The woman of Revelation 17 riding a beast is symbolic of the combining of the ecclesiastical power of church (the woman) and political power of the state (the beast).

Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The Vatican City is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, and since the Lateran Concordat of 1929 it is also an independent country, the epitome of Church and State combined. Their full title in Italian is STATO DELLA CITTÁ DEL VATICANO, as shown on the coin below from the pontificate of Pope Pius the 12th, which means:

The City-State of Prophecy

A woman (church) dressed in scarlet and purple.

Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

Here you see the Pope wearing scarlet and an Archbishop wearing reddish-purple.

Photo by Arturo Mari.

Pope John Paul II celebrated mass in the Basilica of the Resurrection in Jerusalem on Sunday, March 26th 2000, dressed in a purple Lenten robe and a miter trimmed with scarlet red.

On the12th of March 2000, during the Papal Apology Mass, the pope and other members of the Roman Catholic priesthood wore various shades of violet/purple because it also occurred during the Catholic festival of Lent, when the penitential color of purple is traditionally worn.

© 2000 by CTV

© 2000 by CTV

Cardinal Edward Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, also participated in the unprecedented event at the Vatican, during which Pope John Paul II asked for forgiveness for the various persecution sins committed by Roman Catholics over the last two millennium. Cardinal Cassidy and other prominent Cardinals wore both prophesied colors of scarlet and purple!

Below are photos from the October 31st, 1999 signing of the Joint Declaration on Justification by Faith between the Roman Catholic and Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Churches in Augsburg Germany. The Roman Catholics were boldly wearing the prophesied colors of scarlet and purple.

Left: Dressed in scarlet red is Cardinal Edward Cassidy, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. On the right wearing purple is Bishop Walter Kasper, secretary, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Seated on the left in black is Rev. Christian Krause, the Lutheran World Federation president.

Image by Frank Imhoff, courtesy ELCA News and Information

Right: In this photo of the audience at the ceremony in Augsburg, the Catholic cardinals are wearing scarlet red and the Catholic bishops are wearing purple. Cardinal Cassidy is in the center with Rev. Krause seated to his left (right in the photo).

Image by Frank Imhoff, courtesy ELCA News and Information

Left: Priests of the Catholic Church regularly wear red vestments on Good Friday, Palm Sunday, Pentecost, Birthday Feasts of the Apostles and Evangelists, and the Feasts of Martyrs. Purple vestments are worn on Advent, Lent, and at Funerals, although other colors are optional on some of those days. Other approved colors are white, green, black and rose and gold. A distinctive shade of bright orange-red designated officially by the Church as "scarlet" is frequently worn by Cardinals of the Catholic Church. Here you see Archbishops and Bishops in purples and Cardinals in scarlet.
Photo by Arturo Mari.

A traditional "Red Mass" is also held for Supreme Court Justices in the United States, on the Sunday prior to the opening of the Supreme Court session. The Red Mass is an English tradition that was instituted about 1310 during the reign of King Edward II.

Red Mass - Ordinarily this relates to the color of the vestment used on the occasion of the Votive Mass in honor of the Holy Spirit, celebrated at the opening of councils, deliberative groups, schools, and such similar occasions when guidance is invoked. Frequently, at the beginning of a judicial year, such as a Mass is attended by judges and court officials for any civil court or legislative assembly with the intention that they might exercise equity and prudence while fulfilling their official capacities.
Source: Dictionary of the Liturgy, by Jovian P. Lang, OFM, copyright 1989 by Catholic Book Publishing Co., N.Y., ISBN 0-89942-273-X, page 541.

The Cup of Doctrinal Fornication

Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

Left: Pope John Paul II, dressed in purple, holds a golden cup, during the Papal Apology Mass on March 12th, 2000. Some Cardinals in attendance wore both prophetic colors of purple and scarlet (see above).

© 2000 by CTV

Right: The cup illustrated on the three Vatican coins at the top of this article, and in the hand of the other symbolic depictions of FIDES, is the golden cup of wine of the Mass. Above it is the host or wafer of the Eucharist, which resembles a sunburst.

Below are similar symbols of the Eucharist as seen on the 100 Lire coins:


From the video "666 and the Mark" by James Arrabito, Copyright © LLT Productions - Used by Permission

Right: This is the reverse side of a papal medal minted by Pius XI in 1929 to commemorate the Lateran Treaty, which restored Papal sovereignty and made Vatican City an independent state. The sunburst wafer of the eucharist appears in the sky above the Lateran and St. Peter's basilicas, over the cup of the Mass.
Photo by Barry Rock & Barry Belofsky

Left: Here is a photo of the same symbology of the cup and wafer host of the Catholic mass, used in the window of the church Dominus Flevit on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the temple mount of Jerusalem. Note the wavy sunburst pattern around the cup.

Right: FIDES, the Catholic faith, holding the golden cup of the Mass, portrayed by Lorenzo Sabbatini and his assistants from 1573 -1576 on the vault of the First Sala dei Foconi, the Vatican.
The golden cup in the hand of the woman of Revelation 17 is full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication, which represent apostate doctrine, corrupt dogma, which she has made all the nations to drink:

From a photo by G. Vasari.

Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. ...
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

The Catholic faith is again represented in these paintings as a woman holding a golden cup with the round wafer of the Eucharist.

Ceiling panel painting of FIDES by Francesco Podesti, Immaculate Conception room of the Borgia Tower, the Vatican. From a photo by Spectrum Colour Library.

Chief among the apostate Catholic doctrines is that of transubstantiation, where the priest claims to turn bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ, who is allegedly re-presented at every mass as a continuing sacrifice, worshipped as though it were God Himself, and then consumed by the congregation. Eating the flesh of another human being is defined as cannibalism. In truth, the Lord's supper is merely a symbolic memorial, and not a sacrifice.

Right: A painting of FIDES, a detail from The Theological Virtues, painted from 1596 -1600 by Cherubino Alberti and Baldassare Croce, in the Sala Clementina, the Vatican.
From a photo by G. Vasari.

Left: This oil on canvas of The Triumph of Faith which is in the Vatican collection, is by Gaetano Gandolfi and was painted about 1774. It is the preparatory work for the ceiling of a chapel in Bologna, and was given to Pope Pius X by the Sacra Congregazione di Propaganda Fide, otherwise known as the office of the Inquisition.

From a photo by Pianeta Immagine.

Right: FIDES as portrayed over the pulpit of the Benedictine Melk Monastery on the Danube in Austria, built in the early 18th century. In FIDES' left hand is the golden cup (in front of the cross), and behind her right shoulder is the pagan sunburst image.
From a photo by Artephot, Paris (Nimatallah).

Left: A detail of FIDES from The Battle of Lepanto by Giorgio Vasari and assistants from 1572-73, in the Sala Regia, the Vatican.

From a photo by M. Sarre.

Right: This depiction of fides by Donatello and Michelozzo dates to about 1435, and is carved on the base of the funeral monument of AntiPope John XXIII (1410-1415), which is in the Pietra serena Baptistry in Florence.

Left: The Funeral Monument to John XXIII (Klick on picture to see enlargement) was the result of a cooperation between Donatello and Michelozzo. The overall design is from Donatello, but in the execution but he was heavily assisted by Michelozzo. The bronze effigy is certainly by Donatello, the marble reliefs of the Madonna with Child and the Virtues are by Michelozzo.

Right: A tempera and oil on wood by Raphael, a part of the predella of the Baglioni Altarpiece, which dates to about 1507.

From a photo by M. Sarre.

This is the title page of a Roman Catholic Missal, published in 1779, which depicts a cup-holding FIDES.
The Missal "contains the prayers said by the priest at the altar as well as all that is officially read or sung in connection with the offering of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the ecclesiastical year", according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Can it be any plainer that the Catholic Church has indeed adopted the symbology of a woman holding a golden cup, precisely as described, and in fulfillment of the prophecy of Revelation 17?

Indeed, and it would seem that no other Christian denomination but the Catholic Church has depicted itself in this manner.

INNOCENT XI
PONT - M - A - IIII
IN SECVRVM STABIT

Above: This medal of Pope Innocent XI was struck in 1680, the 4th year of his reign. On the reverse side is FIDES representing the Catholic Church. Again she is holding the golden cup of the Mass and a cross. The inscription translates to "Safe and Steadfast".

IMP C M AVR SEV ALEXAND AVG
FIDES MILITVM

Above: Papal Rome's symbolism of FIDES apparently originated with ancient Pagan Rome. On the left is a strikingly similar coin from the 3rd century, (Severus Alexander 222-235 A.D.), with FIDES holding military standards, a common theme on coins from ancient Rome, depicting a military faithful to the reigning emperor.

These are just a few of the many paintings, sculptures etc, with Fides holding a cup.

The "Mother" Church

The woman of Revelation 17 is the mother church, with apostate daughters:

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Only the Roman Catholic Church claims to be the Christian motherchurch:

In part 2 "Directives on the Use of the Expression" it says in the Note on the Expression Sister Churches under point 10:
10. In fact, in the proper sense sister churches are exclusively particular churches (or groupings of particular churches; for example, the patriarchates or metropolitan provinces) among themselves. It must always be clear, when the expression sister churches is used in this proper sense that the one, holy, catholic and apostolic universal church is not sister but mother of all the particular churches.
Source: Note on the Expression Sister Churches by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, SDB, June 30, 2000.

In the recent document Memory and Reconciliation, where the Roman Catholic Church discusses its asking forgiveness for its past sins of persecution, section 3.4 specifically addresses "The Motherhood of the Church":

The conviction that the Church can make herself responsible for the sin of her children by virtue of the solidarity that exists among them through time and space because of their incorporation into Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, is expressed in a particularly effective way in the idea of “Mother Church” (“Mater Ecclesia”), ...

Furthermore, to check unbridled spirits, it [The Council of Trent] decrees that no one relying on his own judgment shall, in matters of faith and morals pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine, distorting the Holy Scriptures in accordance with his own conceptions, presume to interpret them contrary to that sense which holy mother Church, to whom it belongs to judge of their true sense and interpretation, has held and holds, or even contrary to the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, even though such interpretations should never at any time be published. Those who act contrary to this shall be made known by the ordinaries and punished in accordance with the penalties prescribed by law.
Source: The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, English Translation, by Rev. H. J. Schroeder, O.P., Copyright 1941 by B. Herder Book Co., Copyright 1978 by TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., Library of Congress Catalogue Number: 78-66132, ISBN 0-89555-074-1, pages 18-19.

Extract from Pope Gregory VII's Letter to the Bishop of Metz, 1081 Doeberl, op. cit. iii. 40 sqq. Mirbt, No. 297

The holy fathers, as well in general councils as in their writings and doings, have called the Holy Roman Church the universal mother, accepting and serving with great veneration this institution founded by the divine will, this pledge of a dispensation to the church, this privilege entrusted in the beginning and confirmed to St. Peter the chief of the apostles.
Source: Documents of the Christian Church, Second Edition, selected and Edited by Henry Bettenson, Copyright by Oxford University Press 1963, ISBN 0-19-501293-3, pages 105-106.

I acknowledge the holy Catholic and apostolic Roman Church as the mother and teacher of all churches; and to the Roman Pontiff, the successor of the blessed Peter, chief of the Apostles and vicar of Jesus Christ, I promise and swear true obedience.
Source: The Profession of Faith of the Council of Trent, from the Bull of Pius IV, "Iniunctum nobis," Nov. 13, 1565, Denzinger, Enchiridion Symbolorum, Thirtieth Edition, translated by Roy J. Deferrari in The Sources of Catholic Dogma, Copyright 1957 by B. Herder Book Co., pg. 303.

Mystery

This self-proclaimed "mother" church is also Mystery Babylon, the apostate church of Mysteries and the purveyor of Babylonian doctrinal confusion. Note this quote of John Paul II from the Vatican Information Service press release dated 17 September, 1997, (emphasis is mine):

Thanks to greater attention to the mystery of the Church and Mary's relationship with her, the Virgin has begun to be invoked more frequently as 'Mother of the Church.'

Mystery is also the term used by the Roman Catholic Church to refer to the Mass, specifically the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. It is a key part of Catholic dogma. These are the words of the priest in Latin or English (emphasis is mine):

Hic est enim caix sanguinis mei, novi et aeterni testamenti: mysterium fidei, qui pro vobis et pro multis effendetur in remissionum peccatorum.

For this is the chalice of my blood, of the new and eternal testament: the mystery of faith, which for you and for many shall be shad unto the remission of sins.

The Catholic is also well familiar with many "mysteries" through the recitation of their Hail Marys and the rosary. There are 15 decades of prayer (150 recitations) and during each decade of ten recitations, the Catholic contemplates on one of the "mysteries" of the church, which are as follows:

Make the Sign of the Cross
and say the "Apostle's Creed."

Say the "Our Father."
Say three "Hail Marys."
Say the "Glory be to the Father."
Announce the First Mystery;
then the "Our Father."
Say ten "Hail Marys"
while meditating on the Mystery.
Say the "Glory be to the Father."
Announce the Second Mystery;
then say the "Our Father."
Repeat 6 and 7 and
continue with Third, Fourth and Fifth
Mysteries in the same manner.

The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.

Our Father

Our father, who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Fifteen Mysteries of the are divided into three groups: the Joyful, the Sorrowful and the Glorious.

The 5 Joyful Mysteries

The Mystery of the Annunciation
The Mystery of the Visitation
The Mystery of the Birth of the Lord
The Mystery of the Presentation in the Temple
The Mystery of Finding Jesus in the Temple

The 5 Sorrowful Mysteries

The Mystery of the Agony in the Garden
The Mystery of the Scourging at the Pillar
The Mystery of the Crowning with Thorns
The Mystery of Jesus carrying his cross
The Mystery of the Crucifixion

The 5 Glorious Mysteries

The Mystery of the Resurrection
The Mystery of the Ascension of Our Lord
The Mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit
The Mystery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
The Mystery of the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin as Queen of Heaven

Babylon

1 Pet 5:13 The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

Babylon, in this verse, is widely recognized as a code word meaning Rome, not Babylon, since there is no evidence that Peter ever ministered in Babylon.

Roman Catholics have even acknowledged this association:
"Babylon," from which Peter addresses his first Epistle, is understood by learned annotators, Protestant and Catholic, to refer to Rome - the word Babylon being symbolic of the corruption then prevailing in the city of the Caesars.
Source: Faith of Our Fathers, by James Cardinal Gibbons, 111th printing, Published by TAN Books and Publishers, INC., P.O. Box 424, Rockford, Illinois 61105, Copyright 1980, page 87.

"... Babylon had been reduced to an inconsequential status by the march of years, military defeat, and political subjugation; it was no longer a 'great city'. It played no important part in the recent history of the ancient world. The only truly 'great city' in New Testament times was Rome."
Source: Catholicism and Fundamentalism, by Karl Keating, copyright 1988, published by Ignatius Press, San Francisco, ISBN 0-89870-195-3, library of Congress number 87-82939, page 201.

The Persecuting Church

The woman of Revelation 17 is drunk with the blood of Christian martyrs:

Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

The Roman Catholic Church during the "dark ages" is responsible for the persecution deaths of uncounted thousands of Christians who dared to read the Bible, translate the Bible or preach from the Bible or denied the apostate Catholic doctrines or dogma. That the Roman Catholic church felt compelled to ask for forgiveness for her persecution sins of the past on March 12th, 2000, only serves to further confirm she is the apostate persecuting mother church responsible for the blood of the saints spoken of here in Revelation!

The City of Seven Mountains

The woman of Revelation 17 sits on seven mountains:
Rev 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

Now, some Roman Catholic apologists will likely try to apply this passage to the city of Jerusalem. However, this verse tells us that the woman of Revelation 17, an apostate persecuting Christian church, sits, or headquarters itself, in a city of seven mountains. No such Christian church has its administrative headquarters in Jerusalem, so it can be easily dismissed as a possibility. In the Revelation the harlot is further amplified and defined as follows:

Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

So we need to look for an apostate persecuting Christian church, that attempts to rule over the kings of the earth from a great city, known for having seven mountains. Look in any encyclopedia and you will find that Rome is known as the city of seven hills, or seven mountains. These seven hills are the Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Cælian (Coelian/Celio), Aventine and Palatine. So let's consider the great, Eternal City of Rome.

Left: A coin in the collection of the British Museum, minted in 71 A.D. during the reign of Vespasian (69-79 A.D.), which depicts the city of Rome as both a woman seated on 7 hills, and a wolf suckling Romulus and Remus (just above the R in ROMA). It is likely that any encyclopedia will confirm that Rome is known as the City of Seven Hills.
Photo from The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers by Le Roy E. Froom, Volume I, page 160, Copyright 1950 by Review and Herald Publishing Assoc., Washington D.C.

Catholic Attempts at Rebuttal

The Roman Catholic apologist will likely respond in a manner similar to this, from Patrick Madrid:
Most people don't realize that Vatican City, built squarely on Vatican Hill, isn't one of the seven hills for which Rome is famous! Unfortunately for the fevered anti-Catholic theories that Dave Hunt and others traffic in, the Catholic Church's headquarters - Vatican City - sits on the other side of the Tiber river, and not on any of the seven hills. The Tiber formed a natural boundary for the city limits of ancient Rome. The seven hills were on one side, snug inside the city walls. Vatican Hill sat across the river, in sight of the old city, but not technically part of it - so close but yet so far.
Source: Pope Fiction, by Patrick Madrid, (Fiction #7), ISBN 0-9642610-0-6, copyright 1999 Basilica Press, page 103.

Rome, like many European cities, has fortified city walls around its perimeter. The original walls of the city of the Caesars, built between 272 and 279 by Aurelian, did not include the area of the Vatican hill on the west bank of the Tiber, so it is true, as Patrick Madrid says, that Vatican hill was outside the city limits of the pagan Rome of the Caesars.

However, after the sacking of St. Peter's Basilica and Rome by the Saracens in 846, the city walls were repaired and enlarged as a defensive measure by Pope Leo IV between 848 and 852. The pope fortified Vatican hill against future attacks and included it within the perimeter of the newly strengthened city walls, the remains of which can still be seen today around the Vatican and the rest of the city of Rome. (See photo at right) So under ecclesiastical papal Rome, the Vatican has been considered within the city limits of Rome since the middle of the 9th century.

Remnants of the fortress-like Leonine walls around the Vatican. Pubbliaerfoto, Milan

In the introduction of the Catholic Encyclopedia online article on the Vatican it reads: The territory on the right bank of the Tiber between Monte Mario and Gianicolo (Janiculum) was known to antiquity as the Ager Vaticanus, and, owing to its marshy character, the low-lying portion of this district enjoyed an ill repute. The origin of the name Vaticanus is uncertain; some claim that the name comes from a vanished Etruscan town called Vaticum. This district did not belong to ancient Rome, nor was it included within the city walls built by Emperor Aurelian. In the imperial gardens situated in this section was the Circus of Nero. At the foot of the Vatican Hill lay the ancient Basilica of St. Peter. By extensive purchases of land the medieval popes acquired possession of the whole hill, thus preparing the way for building activity. Communication with the city was established by the Pons Ælius, which led directly to the mausoleum of Hadrian. Between 848 and 852 Leo IV surrounded the whole settlement with a wall, which included it within the city boundaries. Until the pontificate of Sixtus V this section of Rome remained a private papal possession and was entrusted to a special administration. Sixtus, however, placed it under the jurisdiction of the urban authorities as the fourteenth region.

So as can be seen, Patrick Madrid in his book Pope Fiction is not telling the whole story to his readers. He is leaving out pertinent facts, since the Vatican has been within the city limits of Rome for well over 1000 years. That the papacy, the Bishop of Rome, attempts to rule the world from Rome hardly seems to call for any documentation, but we will let a recent pope be heard on this issue:

67. ... the hand of God, who guides the course of history, has set down the Chair of His Vicar on earth, in this city of Rome which, from being the capital of the wonderful Roman Empire, was made by Him the capital of the whole world, because He made it the seat of a sovereignty which, since it extends beyond the confines of nations and states, embraces within itself all the peoples of the whole world. The very origin and divine nature of this sovereignty demands, the inviolable rights of conscience of millions of the faithful of the whole world demand that this sacred sovereignty must not be, neither must it ever appear to be, subject to any human authority or law whatsoever, even though that law be one which proclaims certain guaranties for the liberty of the Roman Pontiff.
Source: Pope Pius XI, Encyclical Letter UBI ARCANO DEI CONSILIO (On the Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ), December 23, 1922.

Note the remarkable wording used by Pius XI. He claims sovereignty over all the people of the world from his "seat" in the city of Rome!

Rev 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. ...
Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The Lateran Basilica:
The Cathedra (Seat) of the Bishop of Rome

Rev 13:2 ... and the dragon (pagan Rome) gave him (papal Rome) his power, and his seat, and great authority.

A few minutes of research in most any library will reveal that the official "cathedra" or seat of authority for the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, is not St. Peter's in the Vatican, but actually the basilica of St. John Lateran, which is a short distance to the southeast of the Coliseum and Roman Forum, on the opposite side of Rome from the Vatican.
Located on the Coelian (Celio / Cælian) Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome (Rev. 17: 9), St. John Lateran dates back to Rome's emperor Constantine, who donated the basilica to the Bishop of Rome in the 4th century. It is the oldest basilica in Christendom and lays claim to the title of the "mother church of the world".

Constantine must have given the Lateran to the Church in the time of Miltiades, not later than about 311, for we find council against the Donatists meeting within its walls as early as 313. From that time onwards it was always the centre of Christian life within the city; the residence of the popes and the cathedral of Rome. The latter distinction it still holds, though it has long lost the former.
Source: 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Since 1377, upon the return to Rome from Avignon, Church administration has been located in the Vatican, rather than the Lateran. However, as the cathedra (official seat) of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, the Lateran is today still considered to be extra territorially a part of the Vatican City-State, as is the basilica Santa Maria Maggiore (St. Mary Major), which is located on Esquiline Hill. This is the result of a treaty (Concordat) signed with the Italian state in 1929 at the Lateran, which restored the diplomatic status of the Vatican as an independent city-state, which had been lost in 1870 when Italy seized all papal territories.

Also seized in 1870 by Italy but not returned, was the grand Quirinal papal palace built on Quirinal hill beginning in 1574. It was the official residence for some 30 Popes until its seizure by Italy, when it became the official residence of the kings of Italy, and since 1947 the residence of the presidents of Italy.

So even today, official Vatican territorial sovereignty extends across the Tiber into various parts of the city of Rome. It can even be said that the Vatican literally straddles, or sits over the seven-hilled city of Rome (Rev 17:9)!

More Catholic Attempts at Rebuttal

Note what a Catholic "expert" at EWTN has said on this subject, to refute Protestant claims that the Catholic Church is described in the book of Revelation:

... "The seven heads represent seven hills on which the woman sits." First of all, no Pope has ever lived or had his "seat" (cathedra or cathedral) on any of the seven hills of Rome. These hills are small hillocks (Capitoline, Palatine, Esquiline, Aventine and three lesser "bumps" in central Rome) where the religion and government of pagan Rome was situated. The Catholic Church's headquarters at the Lateran (the cathedral) and at the Vatican (where the Pope lives) does not coincide with them." ...
Quoted from Whore of Babylon by Colin B. Donovan, STL, in the Frequently Asked Questions section of EWTN's site. Copyright 1999 by EWTN

Mr. Donovan needs to investigate one of those lesser bumps (the Cælian), and the history of the Lateran, a bit more closely. Just where Mr. Donovan thinks the Bishop of Rome's official cathedra actually is, he does not say, but I dare say that most any encyclopedia's articles on Rome and the Lateran will reveal the error of his statement. With that kind of "expert" answer on a prominent Catholic web site, it is no wonder that most Catholics don't know the truth on this subject. But the truth is available even on EWTN's own site:

CHURCHES OF ROME:
CHRISTIANITY'S FIRST CATHEDRAL
June Hager

Christendom's earliest basilica and home of the Popes for a thousand years St. John Lateran on the Caelian Hill.

St. John Lateran is Christendom's earliest basilica. Ordered by Rome's first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, it became the Popes' own cathedral and official residence for the first millennium of Christian history. ...

... Henceforth, the Lateran palace, known as the Patriarchate, was the Pope's official residence until the fifteenth century. ...

Source: February 1996 issue of Inside the Vatican.

Now back to Patrick Madrid's book Pope Fiction, which makes this attempt at rebuttal on this point:

Some desperate to salvage this argument, claim that because the cathedral church and official seat of the bishop of Rome is St. John Lateran (which does fall within the bounds of Old Rome), the Catholic Church still fits the bill as being based in Rome.
You've got to give these folks an "A" for effort. Even though this variation on the theme fails, too, the people who promote it are nothing if not tenacious. The problem with this argument is that a cathedral is a church building, not a city. You can't mix and match biblical symbols to make them fit your own particular interpretive system; that does violence to the text. And, of course, even this last claim still fails to account for the leap from a city to a religion (which the identification of Catholicism with the Whore of Babylon must make, for it to work).
Source: Pope Fiction, by Patrick Madrid, (Fiction #7), ISBN 0-9642610-0-6, copyright 1999 Basilica Press, page 103.

I am not desperate, and don't feel the need to try and salvage anything. I am quite confident and willing let the reader judge the weight of the facts presented in this article, and who gets the "A", and who fails completely in their arguments which are composed of half truths and misinformation.

The Universal Church.

The woman of Revelation 17 sits on many waters, representing authority over many people:

Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

The word Catholic means Universal. So the Roman Catholic Church is claiming to be the Universal or Worldwide Christian Church, a claim of authority over all the Christians of the world.

Reigning Over the Kings of the Earth.

The woman of Revelation 17 claims authority over all the kings of the earth:

Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church historically claims authority over all secular rulers, and has exercised that assumed authority by deposing kings or queens who did not acknowledge the Pope's superior secular and ecclesiastical authority.

Here are just a few examples of this claimed authority over Kings:

Letter of Pope Gelasius I to Emperor Anastasius on the superiority of the spiritual over temporal power: The pope's view of the natural superiority of the spiritual over the temporal power finds a clear expression the following remarkable letter of Gelasius I (494).
There are two powers, august Emperor, by which this world is chiefly ruled, namely, the sacred authority of the priests and the royal power. Of these that of the priests is the more weighty, since they have to render an account for even the kings of men in the divine judgment. You are also aware, dear son, that while you are permitted honorably to rule over human kind, yet in things divine you bow your head humbly before the leaders of the clergy and await from their hands the means of your salvation. In the reception and proper disposition of the heavenly mysteries you recognize that you should be subordinate rather than superior to the religious order, and that in these matters you depend on their judgment rather than wish to force them to follow your will.

If the ministers of religion, recognizing the supremacy granted you from heaven in matters affecting the public order, obey your laws, lest otherwise they might obstruct the course of secular affairs by irrelevant considerations, with what readiness should you not yield them obedience to whom is assigned the dispensing of the sacred mysteries of religion. Accordingly, just as there is no slight danger m the case of the priests if they refrain from speaking when the service of the divinity requires, so there is no little risk for those who disdain - which God forbid -when they should obey. And if it is fitting that the hearts of the faithful should submit to all priests in general who properly administer divine affairs, how much the more is obedience due to the bishop of that see which the Most High ordained to be above ,ill others, and which is consequently dutifully honored by the devotion of the whole Church.
translated in J. H. Robinson, Readings in European History, (Boston: Ginn, 1905), pp. 72-73

Gregory VII: Dictatus Papae 1090
The Dictatus Papae was included in Pope's register in the year 1075. Some argue that it was written by Pope Gregory VII (r. 1073-1085) himself, others argues that it had a much later different origin. In 1087 Cardinal Deusdedit published a collection of the laws of the Church which he drew from any sources. The Dictatus agrees so clearly and closely with this collection that some have argued the Dictatus must have been based on it; and so must be of a later date of compilation than 1087. There is little doubt that the principals below do express the pope's principals.

The Dictates of the Pope

That the Roman church was founded by God alone.
That the Roman pontiff alone can with right be called universal.
That he alone can depose or reinstate bishops.
That, in a council his legate, even if a lower grade, is above all bishops, and can pass sentence of deposition against them.
That the pope may depose the absent.
That, among other things, we ought not to remain in the same house with those excommunicated by him.
That for him alone is it lawful, according to the needs of the time, to make new laws, to assemble together new congregations, to make an abbey of a canonry; and, on the other hand, to divide a rich bishopric and unite the poor ones.
That he alone may use the imperial insignia.
That of the pope alone all princes shall kiss the feet.
That his name alone shall be spoken in the churches.
That this is the only name in the world.
That it may be permitted to him to depose emperors.
That he may be permitted to transfer bishops if need be.
That he has power to ordain a clerk of any church he may wish.
That he who is ordained by him may preside over another church, but may not hold a subordinate position; and that such a one may not receive a higher grade from any bishop.
That no synod shall be called a general one without his order.
That no chapter and no book shall be considered canonical without his authority.
That a sentence passed by him may be retracted by no one; and that he himself, alone of all, may retract it.
That he himself may be judged by no one.
That no one shall dare to condemn one who appeals to the apostolic chair.
That to the latter should be referred the more important cases of every church.
That the Roman church has never erred; nor will it err to all eternity, the Scripture bearing witness.
That the Roman pontiff, if he have been canonically ordained, is undoubtedly made a saint by the merits of St. Peter; St. Ennodius, bishop of Pavia, bearing witness, and many holy fathers agreeing with him. As is contained in the decrees of St. Symmachus the pope.
That, by his command and consent, it may be lawful for subordinates to bring accusations.
That he may depose and reinstate bishops without assembling a synod.
That he who is not at peace with the Roman church shall not be considered catholic.
That he may absolve subjects from their fealty to wicked men.

translated in Ernest F. Henderson, Select Historical Documents of the Middle Ages, (London: George Bell and Sons, 1910), pp. 366-367

Pope Innocent III on Empire and Papacy 'The Moon and the Sun' Sicut universitatis conditor. Ep. i, 401, October 1198 P.L. ccxiv. 337. Mirbt, no. 326

The creator of the universe set up two great luminaries in the firmament of heaven; the greater light to rule the day, the lesser light to rule the night. In the same way for the firmament of the universal Church, which is spoken of as heaven, he appointed two great dignities; the greater to bear rule over souls (these being, as it were, days), the lesser to bear rule over bodies (those being, as it were, nights).
These dignities are the pontifical authority and the royal power. Furthermore, the moon derives her light from the sun, and is in truth inferior to the sun in both size and quality, in position as well as effect. In the same way the royal power derives its dignity from the pontifical authority: and the more closely it cleaves to the sphere of that authority the less is the light with which it is adorned; the further it is removed, the more it increases in splendor.

THE POPE AND IMPERIAL ELECTIONS
The Statement of the Papal Claim by Innocent III

Decretal Venerabilem, March 1202, Corpus Iuris Canonici, (Friedberg) II. 80. Mirbt, 323

[A letter from Innocent to the Duke of Zähringen justifying his intervention in a disputed election of the kingship of the Romans.]

... We acknowledge, as we are bound, that the right and authority to elect a king (later to be elevated to the Imperial throne) belongs to those princes to whom it is known to belong by right and ancient custom; especially at this right and authority came to them from the Apostolic See, which transferred the Empire from the Greeks to the Germans in the person of Charles the Great. But the princes should recognize, and assuredly do recognize, that the right and authority to examine the person so elected king (to be elevated to the Empire) belongs to us who annoint, consecrate and crown him. For it is a generally observed rule that the examination of a person belongs to him who has the duty of the laying-on of hands. For suppose that the princes elected a sacrilegious man or an excommunicate, a tyrant or an imbecile, a heretic or a pagan; and that not just by a majority, but unanimously, are we bound to annoint, consecrate and crown such a person? Of course not....

And it is evident from law and custom that when in an election the votes of the princes are divided we may, after due warning and a fitting interval, favour one of the parties.... For if after such due notice the princes cannot or will not agree, will not the Apostolic See be without an advocate and defender, and thus be punished for their fault?

Extract from Gregory VII's Letter to the Bishop of Metz,
1081 Doeberl, op. cit. iii. 40 sqq. Mirbt, No. 297

... who can doubt but that the priests of Christ are to be considered the fathers and masters of kings and princes and of all the faithful? ...

... For, indeed, one can see how the necks of kings and princes are bowed before the knees of priests; and how, having kissed their right hands, they believe themselves strengthened by their prayers. ...

Furthermore every Christian King, when he comes to die, seeks as a pitiful supplicant the aid of a priest, that he may escape hell's prison, may pass from the darkness into the light, and at the judgment of God may appear absolved from the bondage of his sins. Who, in his last hour (what layman, not to speak of priests), has ever implored the aid of an earthly king for the salvation of his soul? And what king or emperor is able, by reason of the office he holds, to rescue a Christian from the power of the devil through holy baptism, to number him among the sons of God, and to fortify him with the divine unction? Who of them can by his own words make the body and blood of our Lord, - the greatest act in the Christian religion? Or who of them possesses the power of binding and loosing in heaven and on earth? From all of these considerations it is clear how greatly the priestly office excels in power.

Who of them can ordain a single clerk in the holy Church, much less depose him for any fault? For in the orders of the Church a greater power is needed to depose than to ordain. Bishops may ordain other bishops, but can by no means depose them without the authority of the apostolic see. Who, therefore, or even moderate understanding, can hesitate to give priests the precedence over kings? Then, if kings are to be judged by priests for their sins, by whom can they be judged with better right than by the Roman Pontiff?

The source for the above examples of papal claims of authority over kings is from Documents of the Christian Church, Second Edition, selected and Edited by Henry Bettenson, Copyright by Oxford University Press 1963, ISBN 0-19-501293-3, pages 106-108, 112-113.

Pope Callistus III medal

Above photo from The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, Volume II, page 556, by Le Roy E. Froom,
published by Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington D.C., Copyright 1948.

On the above papal medal issued by Pope Callistus III (1455-58), the reverse side reads OMNES REGES SERVIENT EI, a quote of Daniel 7:27 from the Latin Vulgate, which when translated in the Catholic Douay Rheims reads "ALL KINGS SHALL SERVE HIM". The scripture refers to God, but the papal triple-tiered tiara portrayed above the cross clearly symbolizes papal authority, that the papacy is God's designated representative, having authority even over the kings of the earth, just as the above excerpts show.

Jezebel

Now note this passage in Revelation 2:

Rev 2:20-23 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

In prophecy a woman represents a church, and Jezebel here represents the apostate church, who has taught corrupted doctrine, which is described as fornication, just as in Revelation 17:

Rev 17:1-2 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Now, pay close attention to this ...
The apostate church in Revelation 2:20 (Jezebel) calls herself a prophetess ... so by her own admission she is linked with prophecy!

Conclusion

The Vatican (STATO DELLA CITTÁ DEL VATICANO), which means City-State of prophecy, is the woman of Revelation 17, Jezebel, the apostate harlot, the mother universal church, the persecuter, that sits on seven hills in Rome and claims authority over the kings of the earth.

While not specifically written in response to all the facts presented in this article, here are two attempts at rebuttals of Protestant claims on Rev 17 online at Catholic Answers:
"Hunt-ing" the Whore of Babylon and The Whore of Babylon.