This study examines the complex relationship between the Ultramontane Catholic Church and different forms of modernity in the context of the Brazilian First Republic (1889-1930). While the adjective "modern" turned into a discursive weapon to label and reject all kinds of criticized phenomena in Brazilian society (from "modern" literature, arts, theatre, or dances to "modern" - meaning secular - education), the representatives of the Brazilian Ultramontanism fully embraced scientific arguments and the mantle of progress, even adapting to certain aspects of the ideology of modernity promoted by their liberal competitors.