Who is the whore of Babylon mentioned in the book of revelations if it is not the Catholic Church?

The “whore of Babylon” mentioned in the Book of Revelation very clearly refers to the Roman Empire. Understanding the symbolism of the Book of Revelation requires understanding the original audience for which it was written, which was the early Christians under Roman persecution. The sufferings (and future sufferings) which are seen by John point to the persecutions of the Church under the imperial powers of the world–at that time, Rome.

The symbolism of the whore of Babylon involves imagery of pagan Roman cults. They were idolatrous and often involved debauchery. The “blasphemous names” (17:3) refers to the divine titles which Roman emperors often took for themselves (like, for instance, “son of God”). The purple, scarlet, gold, jewels, etc. are all symbols of the vast wealth of Rome. When it says that “the kings of the earth have had intercourse with her, and the inhabitants of the earth became drunk on the wine of her harlotry” (17:2), this is about how the Roman Empire subdued foreign nations and kings around the world willingly sold out their peoples to Roman idolatry in order to “get ahead” and be in good standing with Rome (King Herod was one of these kings).

These verses also allude to the geographical location of Rome. The whore “lives near the many waters” (17:1), referring to Rome’s location in the middle of the Mideterranean Sea and its incredible naval power. Furthermore, 17:9 tells us that the whore of Babylon sits upon a seven-headed beast, which the angel says represent “seven hills.” These seven hills are the seven hills of Rome, which were famous around the world.

The reason that she is called the “whore of Babylon” is because Babylon is an Old Testament image for the city of destruction and evil. Babylon was the empire that conquered the ancient Jews and sent them into exile in 586 BC, burning Jerusalem and the Temple to the ground. Babylon represented the evil powers of the world which conspired against God’s chosen people. The vision is meant to show how pagan Rome’s persecution of the Church follows this same legacy of Babylon–but like Babylon, is doomed for destruction.

Having this context makes the vision’s meaning for us today easier to understand. The meaning of the whore of Babylon is very clear: it is a symbol of empire, domination, and self-glorifying conquest. These great worldly powers may start off good, but when they turn their power to evil ends, this leads to persecution of the Church. Rome had many pagan cults, but one which arose around the time of Christian persecution was a cult that worshipped Rome itself as a pagan god. The Roman emperors were drunk on their own power. Since the time of Rome, other powers in the world have continued this legacy of the “whore of Babylon,” but the vision is meant to give us hope: the powers of the world are never able to destroy the Church. God always wins. The whore of Babylon is not the Church, but rather those evil forces in the world which fight and conspire against the Church and have tried to suppress her throughout the centuries (beginning first of all with pre-Christianized Rome).