27 Facts About Rik Torfs

Henri Maria Dymphna Andre Laurent "Rik" Torfs was born on 16 October 1956 and is a Belgian canon law scholar and media personality.

Rik Torfs is a former Senator for the Christian Democratic and Flemish party in the Belgian Federal Parliament and a former Rector of the Catholic University of Leuven.

Rik Torfs received his JCD in 1987 with a dissertation on the canonical concept of marriage.

In 1988, Torfs became assistant professor in the Faculty of Canon Law at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

Rik Torfs is a guest professor at the University of Stellenbosch, University of Paris, University of Nijmegen, and University of Strasbourg.

Rik Torfs serves on the academic advisory board for the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University and is a member of the board of experts at International Religious Liberty Association.

Rik Torfs is a former president and board member of the European Consortium for Church and State Research and founder and board member of the Working Group Nederlandstalige Canonisten.

Rik Torfs became a member of the Commission for Intercultural dialogue in 2005, the Commissie ter invulling van de cursus maatschappelijke orientatie in 2006, and Les Assises de l'Interculturalite in 2009.

Rik Torfs serves as an advisor to the government of Romania regarding the protection of religious minorities.

In 2005 Rik Torfs ran for rector at KU Leuven, losing to Marc Vervenne.

Vervenne could not serve a second term, and in 2008 Rik Torfs announced he would not run for office in 2009.

Rik Torfs has widely commented on matters related to the Catholic Church.

Rik Torfs subsequently became one of the panel members of the show Canvas from 2002 to 2003.

Rik Torfs began a column in De Standaard called The Slippery Slope.

Rik Torfs was the host of the Belgian Sports Personality of the Year in 2009.

Rik Torfs later became a weekly columnist for Le Soir from 2008 to 2009.

Rik Torfs was brought in several times as a guest on De Laatste Show a talk show on Een a public Dutch TV station in Belgium, owned by the VRT.

Rik Torfs soon became a frequent guest on some of Flanders' media's prime-time shows, including De Zevende Dag, Terzake, Zinzen, De Pappenheimers, Nachtwacht, Recht van Antwoord.

In 2009 Rik Torfs was a co-presenter with Siegfried Bracke in a television program devoted to covering Belgian elections called De Stemming.

Rik Torfs was a one-man jury panel on De Slimste Mens ter Wereld, a Flemish TV program produced by Woestijnvis on Een.

Rik Torfs remarked on the questions, answers, contestants, or the presenter.

Rik Torfs has published on human rights, marriage and the benefits of forbearance.

Rik Torfs is a formidable critic yet defender of the Catholic Church.

Rik Torfs has been noted for his sharp criticism of the Holy See yet has consistently defended the place of Christianity and the Church in society.

In October 2009 Rik Torfs told the press that he wanted to bring together people from all walks of life into a new political forum for innovation.

Rik Torfs started an informal Think Tank which, if successful, could evolve into a new party for the elections of 2011.

In May 2010, Rik Torfs was offered the second position on the senate list of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party, next to Marianne Thyssen and took it.