Changes in society that resulted in reform of the Catholic Church?

I'm writing a scholarly essay on this topic. So far I plan to include the Protestant Reformation (which resulted in the Counter Reformation), and how the Church has changed its stance with regards to evolution and the use of contraceptives. I will also discuss the 1992 pardoning of Galileo. I notice that there's a large gap in time between the Counter Reformation and the other, more recent events; what topics can I fill this gap with? Ideally these would be societal changes that resulted in reform within the Catholic Church. Thanks for your feedback.