Question: Where does the apostate ecumenical church fit into the events of the last days?
Answer: The Antichrist is not an atheist or irreligious. On the contrary, he causes the Jewish temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt and the sacrifices to be resumed. Of course, his intention is to double-cross the Jews, stop the Jewish sacrifices, put his own image in the temple, and demand to be worshiped as God—which he does.
Antichrist will, I believe, pretend to be Christ. Therefore, for at least a time, he needs the apostate church as much as she needs him. Furthermore, the apostate church already has in place the institutions worldwide through which Antichrist can work. In the end, however (as stated above), Antichrist will turn against and destroy the Vatican and her consorts.