"Kim is a gifted and natural communicator whose life is testimony to her love of Christ. Her vocational life as a wife, mother, and religious liberties attorney are joyfully ordered to her love of God," said Kathryn Jean-Lopez, a columnist, editor and Catholic Voices USA coordinator in an April 29 blog post.
Catholic Voices USA, which was inspired by its U.K. counterpart, seeks to respond to Pope Benedict XVI's call "for an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity." It helps train lay Catholics to speak about their faith in debates, interviews and other public settings.
Daniels also co-founded the Women Speak for Themselves movement with Helen Alvaré, a George Mason University law professor who has previously represented the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Pro-life Activities.
Women Speak for Themselves helped give a voice to more than 38,000 women who objected to politicians assuming that they supported the controversial HHS mandate that requires employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception – including some drugs that can cause early abortions – and sterilization, all of which are recognized as immoral by Catholic teaching.
The mandate, which has drawn lawsuits from nearly 200 plaintiffs across the country, has been a prominent religious liberty concern for the Church in recent months, along with conscience protection issues involving abortion, attempts to redefine marriage and immigration.
Daniels will now address religious freedom matters and other pressing issues as the first ever spokesperson for the U.S. bishops' conference president.