Rik Torfs
Rik Torfs | |
---|---|
Rector of KU Leuven | |
In office 1 August 2013 – 31 July 2017 | |
Preceded by | Mark Waer |
Succeeded by | Luc Sels |
Personal details | |
Born | Canon Law | 16 October 1956
Henri Maria Dymphna André Laurent "Rik" Torfs (born 16 October 1956) is a
Education and academic career
He attended the
In 1988, Torfs became assistant professor in the Faculty of Canon Law at the
In 2005 Torfs ran for rector at KU Leuven, losing to Marc Vervenne. Vervenne could not serve a second term, and in 2008 Torfs announced he would not run for office in 2009.[2] In 2013 he stepped down from politics and did participate in the election for Rector of KU Leuven. In On 17 May 2013, he was elected Rector after obtaining a majority of the votes in the second round. He assumed office on 1 August 2013.[3][4]
Journalism and media
Torfs has widely commented on matters related to the
In 2004, he gave a series of lectures with reflections on
He later became a weekly columnist for
Torfs has published on human rights, marriage and the benefits of forbearance. He is a formidable critic yet defender of the Catholic Church. He has been noted for his sharp criticism of the Holy See yet has consistently defended the place of Christianity and the Church in society.
Politics
In October 2009 Torfs told the press that he wanted to bring together people from all walks of life into a new political forum for innovation. He started an informal Think Tank which, if successful, could evolve into a new party for the elections of 2011. However, circumstances in Belgian politics forced new elections scheduled for June 2010.
In May 2010, Torfs was offered the second position on the senate list of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party (CD&V), next to Marianne Thyssen and took it. The press has called Torfs one of the so-called "white rabbits " of Belgian politics 2010.[citation needed] During an interview for De Zevende Dag, Torfs appeared wearing a tie with a white rabbit print on it, which prompted the nickname.[citation needed] As a member of CD&V he aspired to reconceptualize the political ideology of the party together with Inge Vervotte and others.[5] According to Torfs, these attempts failed to broaden the internal debate within the party and didn't give rise to change within the party because of the highly rigid and hierarchical nature of the party system and its decision-making. From this perspective, he started to think about leaving politics in the end of 2012. In March 2013 he quit politics and announced his candidacy to become Rector of KU Leuven.[6]
In 2023, he was awarded the
Selected bibliography
- Het huwelijk als levensgemeenschap. Een kerkrechtelijke benadering, Leuven, Acco, 1990.
- Mensen en rechten in de Kerk, Leuven, Davidsfonds, 1993.
- De kardinaal heeft verdriet, Leuven, Uitgeverij Van Halewyck, 2002.
- Voor het zinken de kerk uit, Leuven, Uitgeverij Van Halewyck, 2004.
- Religie, vrede en onvrede, Gent, Larcier, 2005.
- Lof der lankmoedigheid, Leuven, Uitgeverij Van Halewyck, 2006.
- Het hellend vlak, Leuven, Uitgeverij Van Halewyck, 2008.
- Wie gaat er dan de wereld redden?, Van Halewyck, 2009. (Liberales prize winner 2009)
References
- ^ (Torfs, R. (1987). Het canonieke huwelijksbegrip. (Torfs, Rik, Ed.). Leuven.
- ^ (in Dutch) Rik Torfs niet bij vier kandidaat-rectoren KUL, 2009-03-02, De Tijd, Retrieved 2013-05-18.
- ^ "Rik Torfs nieuwe rector KU Leuven". De Standaard (in Dutch). 17 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
- ^ "Professor Rik Torfs elected Rector". KU Leuven. 17 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
- ^ (in Dutch) Vervotte en Torfs hebben nieuwe CD&V ideologie klaar, 2011-04-30, De Morgen, Retrieved 2013-05-18.
- ^ (in Dutch) CD&V-senator Rik Torfs verlaat de politiek, 2013-03-21, De Tijd, Retrieved 2013-05-18.
External links
- AXS Consulting Chaumont-Gistoux
- Official website (in Dutch)
- Rik Torfs (Henri) faculty page via Katholieke Universiteit Leuven(in Dutch)