Education
He studied philosophy and theology at the seminary of Mechelen (Belgium) and became a priest in 1949. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in sociology from the Catholic University of Louvain University College London.
He studied philosophy and theology at the seminary of Mechelen (Belgium) and became a priest in 1949. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in sociology from the Catholic University of Louvain University College London.
He earned a masters degree in political and social sciences at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium). He earned a degree at the International Superior Institute of Urbanism (Brussels, Belgium). He is an author and co-author of numerous publications on socio-religious matters.
He served as the chief editor of the International Journal of Sociology of Religion, "Social Compass" for forty years(1960–1999).
He also has advised international catholic journalConcilium which was founded at the Nijmegen University, on the issues of sociology of religion. He participated as a peritus expert in the sessions of Vatican II (1962–1965) playing a key role in the formation of the introduction of the Gaudium et spes.
Houtart, over the years, has developed a dialectical approach to study religions in the world. Today he serves as an advisor to CETRI (Centre Tricontinental) a Belgian non-governmental organization which he founded in 1976.
Objective of CETRI is to promote dialogue and corporation between third world social movements and social forces plus encourage resistance and action.
Today he is very much active in the Globalisation and Ethics discourse. In the context of the global financial crisis in 2008, Houtart has been invited by the United Nations to address the issues of globalisation of capital in October 2008 by the president of the United Nations in New New York He shared the award with Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi.
In 2009, Houtart signed the Appeal for the removal of Hamas from the European Union terror list and he became very instrumental in the Russels Tribunal against the state of Israel.
Center Tricontinental (CETRI)
International Association of Sociology of Religion,
World Forum for Alternatives.
Houtart is one of the most active members of the World Social Forum.