Leno said his first girlfriend refused to go with him to California because her mother was afraid she'd "turn Catholic."
Ignoring the latent sectarianism in such a phrase for the present discussion, when said of folks who already believe in Christ, the colloquial "turn Catholic" instead of the metaphysical "become Catholic" implies a significant switch from previous convictions.1 This slight is often fully intended by those who haven't likewise "turned."
There seems to be, according to this representation from Schaff's multi-volume History of the Christian Church at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, a German proverb that bears an abstract meaning, not mutually exclusive of a literal meaning:
"Das ist um katholisch zu werden describes a condition of things that drives one to desperation or madness."
1 Since coming to Christ initially involves a metanoia or "turning," any subsequent "turning" may properly be deemed superfluous or downright detrimental.
2 NB: the proverb uses the less egregious werden, "become," but still has a pejorative connotation.
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