Dear Leslie:

Actually, the location of the Vatican was in an uninhabited area on the opposite side of the Tiber River from the City of Rome. Vatican Hill is NOT one of the Seven Hills of Rome.

In the first century (A.D. 40) Emperor Caligula began constructing the circus on this location. Emperor Nero completed the circus. The area became the site of the martyrdom of many Christians when Nero blamed the Christians for the fire in Rome in A.D. 64.

Thus, Vatican Hill became a holy place sanctified by the blood of Christian martyrs, including that of St. Peter, who was buried under that is now St. Peter's Basilica's altar. While the area was used by pagan for years, when the Constantinian Basilica of St. Peter's in A.D. 326 was built. Other buildings were built in the area that were associated with the ministry of the Basilica. A palace was built near the basilica as early as the 5th century during the pontificate of Pope Symmachus (498-514).

Originally the City of Rome was on the other side of the Tiber from Vatican Hill, so any reference to Rome in the Bible did not include Vatican Hill.

This map shows Vatican Hill in the Red Circle. Rome is on other side of the River

In 1929 the Vatican Hill area became a separate country called the Vatican City State, thus the Vatican is not in Rome, but in the Vatican City State.

Even if the Vatican was in the city of Rome, so what? Rome was the center of the Western World. Many good Christians saints lived there and also tyrants. Just because someone is in Rome does not automatically make them the antiChrist.

So while the antiChrist or Babylon may be Rome why does that mean it refers to the Catholic Church. Lot was a holy man and yet he lived in the sinful city of Sodom. Are we to condemn Lot as an evil man because he lived in an evil city?

It is flawed and bigoted logic to presume that since the Vatican is in proximity to Rome that somehow this means that when the Rome is mentioned in Revelations it means the Catholic Church. Protestants always say, "Where's that in the Bible?" or "Where is the word Pope in the Bible?" Well, where does it say that Rome is the Catholic Church, or that the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon? Where are the words "Catholic Church". These people are hypocrites and bigots.

The reason the Vatican was situated in proximity of Rome is because that is where St. Peter ended up living. He died in just outside Rome on Vatican Hill and is buried under the altar at St. Peter's Basilica. His bones were recently found confirming the old tradition that he was there.

St. Peter went to Rome because it was the natural place for the Church to set up headquarters because Rome was, in essence, the capital (center) of the Western World. If Jesus had come today instead of 2000 years ago, St. Peter may have ended up in New York and the Vatican might have been there.

It doesn't matter where the headquarters for the Church are at, it just happened to be Rome because that is where St. Peter died.

You will probably not convinced these people of anything since bigotry does not use the faculty of reason, but at least you will know a little history of the Vatican.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

P.S. By the way, the actual Babylon was a city state and empire in what is now Iraq.