Conversion to Catholicism and repentance

In the months after the severity of his illness became apparent, Atwater said he had converted to Catholicism, with the aid of Fr. John Hardon.[42] (The Atwater family's pastor, James P. Rush, D. Min., disputed this in an editorial, claiming that Lee was under heavy sedation when he allegedly converted to Roman Catholicism and that he later renounced his conversion altogether.)[43] In an act of repentance, Atwater issued a number of public and written letters to individuals to whom he had been opposed during his political career. In a June 28, 1990, letter to Tom Turnipseed, he stated, "It is very important to me that I let you know that out of everything that has happened in my career, one of the low points remains the so-called 'jumper cable' episode", adding, "My illness has taught me something about the nature of humanity, love, brotherhood, and relationships that I never understood, and probably never would have. So, from that standpoint, there is some truth and good in everything."[13] Turnipseed accepted Atwater's apology and later attended his funeral.

In a February 1991 article for Life, Atwater wrote:

My illness helped me to see that what was missing in society is what was missing in me: a little heart, a lot of brotherhood. The 1980s were about acquiring – acquiring wealth, power, prestige. I know. I acquired more wealth, power, and prestige than most. But you can acquire all you want and still feel empty. What power wouldn't I trade for a little more time with my family? What price wouldn't I pay for an evening with friends? It took a deadly illness to put me eye to eye with that truth, but it is a truth that the country, caught up in its ruthless ambitions and moral decay, can learn on my dime. I don't know who will lead us through the '90s, but they must be made to speak to this spiritual vacuum at the heart of American society, this tumor of the soul.[44]

In the article Atwater apologized to Michael Dukakis for the "naked cruelty" of the 1988 presidential election campaign.[44][45]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Atwater