Kurt Martens

Kurt Martens serves as an Ordinary Professor of Canon Law at The Catholic University of America's School of Canon Law, specializing in Church and State relations, Due Process, and Public Law of the Church with emphasis on diocesan and supra-diocesan structures.

Education:

• Law Degree, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
• J.C.L., Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
• J.C.D., Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium

Research Expertise: Professor Martens investigates intersections between civil and ecclesiastical legal systems, focusing on religious liberty protections, administrative due process within Church governance, and structural frameworks of particular and supra-diocesan church entities. His scholarship bridges Roman Law traditions with contemporary canonical jurisprudence.

Professional Networks:

• Canon Law Society of America (CLSA)
• Werkgroep Nederlandstalige Canonisten (WNC)
• Groupe de travail des canonistes francophones de Belgique
• International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies (ICLARS)
• Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• Canadian Canon Law Society / Société canadienne de droit canonique
• Consociatio Internationalis Studio Iuris Canonici Promovendo

Editorial Leadership:

• Editorial Committee, The Jurist
• Editorial Board, Gratianus Series (Wilson & Lafleur)
• Co-founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief, Recht Religie en Samenleving (Law, Religion and Society)

He provides ongoing consultancy to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Canonical Affairs since November 2008, advising on canonical procedures and church-state matters.

Honors:

• Young Faculty Research Award (2009), The Catholic University of America