What major impact did the Protestant Reformation have on the Catholic Church?

Answer 1

Either I'm misunderstanding the question, or you have some of the basics confused. The Roman Catholic church was around for centuries before the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was a reaction against some of the positions/actions of the Roman church. The Reformation brought about several protestant movements; it did not bring about the Catholic church.

Answer 2

Catholic AnswerA huge question. The major impact was called the Counter-reformation, the name given by historians to the Catholic movement of reform and activity which lasted for approximately one hundred years from the Council of Trent in 1545. It was primarily the work of Pope Saint Pius V who issued the Roman Catechism, the Roman Missal, and the Roman Breviary, all called for by the Council. There were a lot of saints from this period, notably Ss. Philip Neri and Charles Borromeo in the reform of the clergy and of life; St. Ignatius and the Jesuits in apostolic activity, St. Francis Xavier in foreign missions, and St. Teresa of Avila in the purely contemplative life which lies behind them all. The whole Church emerged from the 16th century unified and revivified, however, the unity of western Christendom was destroyed and the Church militant led by the Company of Jesus (the Jesuits) adopted offence as the best means of defence.

from A Catholic Dictionary, 2nd Edition, revised; edited by Donald Attwater

It was a very fruitful period for the Church and we have many things to be thankful for from that period, but the above article is correct, it is a very sad thing to see the fragmenting of the Body of Christ, which has only gotten worse over the centuries. Vatican Council II in some ways called for a renewed vigor in healed the wounds and the present Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, is pursuing that.

.

AnswerIt challenged Catholic traditions, forcing people to reassess the Catholic religion.

Answer 3

Though the Protestant Reformation was primarily detrimental to the Catholic Church, it did help open the eyes of the clergy to see that reforms were needed and this led to the Council of Trent, which standardized a lot of things and reformed the clergy.

Answer 4

If you are talking about the protestant revolt, it forced the Catholic Church to come to grips with the fact that large numbers of the clergy were extremely ignorant of their religion. Thus beginning the seminary system which still exists to this day. In addition, the problems caused by the protestant revolt gave rise to many great saints, and new religious Orders.

from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957

The Counter-Reformation is the name given to the Catholic movement of reform and activity which lasted for about one hundred years from the beginning of the Council of Trent (q.v., 1545), and was the belated answer to the threatening confusion and increasing attacks of the previous years. It was the work principally of the Popes St. Pius V and Gregory XIII and the Council itself in the sphere of authority, of SS. Philip Neri and Charles Borromeo in the reform of the clergy and of life, of St. Ignatius and the Jesuits in apostolic activity of St. Francis Xavier in foreign missions, and of St. Teresa in the purely contemplative life which lies behind them all. But these were not the only names nor was it a movement of a few only; the whole Church emerged from the 15th century purified and revivified. On the other hand, it was a reformation rather than a restoration; the unity of western Christendom was destroyed; the Church militant (those still on earth) led by the Company of Jesus adopted offence as the best means of defence and, though she gained as much as she lost in some sense, the Church did not recover the exercise of her former spiritual supremacy in actuality.

from

Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980

A period of Catholic revival from 1522 to about 1648, better know as the Catholic Reform. It was an effort to stem the tide of Protestantism by genuine reform within the Catholic Church. There were political movements pressured by civil rules, and ecclesiastical movements carried out by churchmen in an attempt to restore genuine Catholic life by establishing new religious orders such as the Society of Jesus and restoring old orders to their original observances, such as the Carmelites under St. Teresa of Avila (1515-98). The main factors responsible for the Counter Reformation, however, were the papacy and the council of Trent (1545-63). Among church leaders St. Charles Borromeo (1538-84), Archbishop of Milan, enforced the reforms decreed by the council, and St. Francis de Sales of Geneva (1567-1622) spent his best energies in restoring genuine Catholic doctrine and piety. Among civil rulers sponsoring the needed reform were Philip II of Spain (1527-98) and Mary Tudor (1516-58), his wife, in England. Unfortunately this aspect of the reformation led to embitterment between England and Scotland, England and Spain, Poland and Sweden, and to almost two centuries of religious wars. As a result of the Counter Reformation, the Catholic Church became stronger in her institutional structure, more dedicated to the work of evangelization, and more influential in world affairs.

Answer 5

An historian might say that the protestant revolt helped spread Catholicism around the world because of the Catholic reform, which involved, among other things, the foundation of new religious Orders who were very missionary and education oriented, such as the Society of Jesus, which took the faith and Catholic education around the world.