Kurt Martens (born March 31, 1973 in

Tielt Tielt (; french: Thielt) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Tielt proper and the villages of Aarsele, Kanegem, and Schuiferskapelle. History Some traces of Gallo-Roman occu ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

) is a Belgian professor and canon lawyer.

Biography

Martens studied as a secondary school student at the Sint-Jozefscollege in Tielt. Later as a student at the

Catholic University of Louvain The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a p ...

, he obtained a civil law degree (1996), licentiate degree in canon law (1997), and earned his

doctorate in canon law Doctor of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD ...

(2004). During his student years he was president of the faculty circle ''Canonica'' for the 1996-1997 academic year, and worked as a research assistant at the Special Faculty of Canon Law of the Catholic University of Louvain until 2005. In 2003 he was a visiting professor at the Institut de Droit Canonique of the

Université Marc Bloch The University Marc Bloch, also known as Strasbourg II or UMB was a university in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. As of 2006, it had around 13,000 students. Its name used to be ''Université des Sciences Humaines'' (University of Social Sciences), but i ...

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Starting with the 2005-2006 academic year, Martens has been a member of the faculty of the

School of Canon Law The School of Canon Law is the only faculty of Catholic canon law in the United States. It is one of the twelve schools at The Catholic University of America, located in Washington, D.C.The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. He received the Young Faculty Research Award from the University in 2009, and was promoted to Ordinary Professor in 2015. He was appointed a counselor to the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance of the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

in 2008. In 2022, he was appointed a member of the

National Review Board The National Review Board (full name: National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People) is a committee created in 2002 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in order to monitor the implementation of the Charter fo ...

. Martens has served as editor-in-chief of the scientific journal ''The Jurist: Studies in Church Law and Ministry'' since 2012. He was also the co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of the journal ''Recht, Religie en Samenleving (Law, Religion and Society)''. He is an expert in

religious liberty Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

/ church-state relations,

papal elections A papal conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to elect a bishop of Rome, also known as the pope. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Co ...

, the Roman Curia, the canonical processes of hierarchical recourse, and the hierarchical structures of the Church (such as

episcopal conference An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...

s, diocesan structures, and curias).

Publications

*''The Pope and His Entourage'' (Leuven: Davidsfond, 2003) *'' Habemus Papam, Het Profiel van de Volgende Paus'', written with

Rik Torfs Henri Maria Dymphna André Laurent "Rik" Torfs (born 16 October 1956) is a Belgian canon law scholar and media personality. He is a former Senator for the Christian Democratic and Flemish party in the Belgian Federal Parliament and a former Rector ...

'Habemus Papam, The Profile of the Next Pope''(Leuven: Davidsfond, 2004; ) *''Van Ratzinger tot Benedictus XVI'' Ratzinger to Benedict XVI">Joseph_Ratzinger.html" ;"title="'From Joseph Ratzinger">Ratzinger to Benedict XVI''] (2005) *''Legal Protection in the Church'' [''Rechtsbescherming in de Kerk; Ontwikkeling en aanwending van rechtsmiddelen tegen overheidsbeslissingen in de rooms-katholieke Kerk''] (2007) *''Handboek Erediensten – Bestuur en organisatie'', written with Frank Judo 'Worship Manual: Administration and Organization''(2010) *''Justice and Mercy Have Met:

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

and the Reform of the Marriage Nullity Process'' (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2017; ) *''A Service Beyond All Recompense: Essays in Honor of Monsignor Thomas J. Green'' (Washington, DC: CUA Press, 2018; )''

References

External links

Official faculty website at The Catholic University of America
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martens, Kurt 1973 births 21st-century Belgian lawyers Belgian Roman Catholics Canon law jurists Catholic University of America faculty Catholic University of America people Catholic University of America School of Canon Law faculty Catholic University of America School of Canon Law Flemish academics KU Leuven alumni Academic staff of KU Leuven Catholic University of America Living people