Quote
This pope [Pius IX] who is regarded by many as having inaugurated the modern Catholic Church is also noted for his vitriolic reaction against many basic trends in modernity, in paritcular his creation of the Syllabus of Errors which listed 80 ideas that Catholics were forbidden to accept. Among the list were such nasty things like rationalism, communism, liberalism, freedom of speech, freedom of worship/religion, national churches without papal authority, recognition of religions other than Catholicism, democracy, marriage as a civil institution, and secular schools run by the state. The Syllabus also specifically rejected the idea that the papacy and, by extension, the Roman Catholic Church, could even be reconciled with progress, liberalism, and modern civilization. Such attitudes might appear outdated, but I’ve unfortunately encountered Catholics who seem to adhere to such doctrines devoutly.
– Perhaps Austin Cline, 1-7-99
http://atheism.about.com/library/weekly/aa010599.htm