Was Pope John Paul II’s mother of Jewish Descent?Mike Rappaport

I recently returned from a family vacation to Italy.  In Rome, one of our guides took us through the Jewish ghetto.  She is writing her Ph.d on Jewish-Christian relations in 1st-5th century Rome, and has been granted access to Vatican materials.  She told us many things that I had never heard before, including that the Sistine Chapel was based on the dimensions of Solomon’s temple. 

The guide also told us that Pope John Paul II’s mother was initially Jewish or of Jewish descent.  I have tried to confirm this claim on the internet, but the best that is available provides only circumstantial evidence that his mother was Jewish.  Still, it would be pretty interesting if John Paul did have some significant Jewish ancestry.

(Sadly, researching this issue has revealed a number of web sites that appear to be anti-Semitic or at least strongly hostile to Jews.)