Most of my readers probably haven't heard of St. Catherine of Genoa – or St. Catherine of Siena for that matter – but it is true enough to describe her as a fifteenth century Italian nun and Christian mystic who wrote two spiritual works: 'Dialogues on the Soul and the Body' and 'Treatise on Purgatory'.
Both are fairly standard pieces of contemporary Catholic theology and Christian mysticism with little of specific interest of us. However the majority of what little biographical detail we know of St. Catherine's life comes from anonymous work published in 1551 entitled 'The Life and Doctrine of St. Catherine of Genoa'.
In chapter 34 of this work; the anonymous author uses the jews as a reference point to explain the power and proofs offered of St. Catherine's miraculous supernatural abilities. When they state that they would cause even a jew to believe in the truth of Christianity in spite of their stubborn rejection and concomitant hatred of Christians.
It is a shame that present pontiff appears to think that jews are right and his own church wrong: isn't it?