Rik Torfs began his academic career at the Faculty of Canon Law of KU Leuven in 1988 and was appointed full professor of Canon Law in 1996. Torfs studied canon law at KU Leuven & University of Strasbourg and obtained his doctorate in canon law at KU Leuven in 1987. He is currently a visiting professor at the Universities of Strasbourg, Stellenbosch, Nijmegen and Paris. In addition to more than 400 academic publications in the field of canon law, law and religion, Rik Torfs is the author of more than 15 books on society and religion targeted at a wide audience. Between 2010 and 2013, Rik Torfs was a senator in the Belgian Federal Parliament. In 2013, he was elected rector (vice-chancellor) of his alma mater, KU Leuven. Rik Torfs is a well-known public figure in Belgium, known for his regular columns in influential Belgian newspapers and frequent appearances on Belgian radio and television programmes discussing politics, social issues and religion. In 2024, he played a leading role in the production of a six-part documentary on the Vatican, which was broadcast on Belgian and Dutch television.