The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees; incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holydays and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields; sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure, the ring in marriage, turning to the East, images at a later date, perhaps the ecclesiastical chant, and the Kyrie Eleison, are all of pagan origin, and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.[Cardinal Newman - Development of Christian Doctrine, pg 373]
Only currently committed Roman catholics cannot see that. FORMER RCs in my fellowship do see it and are vocal about it now.
Clearly you didn’t read the entire work of John Henry Newman. I refer to him not as Cardinal in this sense because was simply John at this point in his life. He entered the Church shortly after penning the treatise you quoted.
Had you actually read his work rather than quoting inflammatory tracts, you would have found that he cited 7 powers of the Church in the development of Church doctrine. The selection you quoted is from the “Assimilative Power.” This is a power, by the way, that was demonstrated by St Paul to the Greeks who had built a monument to the “unknown God.” St Paul introduced them to the God they did not know by “assimilating” their understanding of the miracle they celebrated (Acts 17:23).
Although the body of John Newman’s work is commendable, I will take very simple issue with the statement you quoted. The use of temples, and those dedicated to particular people; incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings; holy water; holidays and seasons, calendars, processions, blessings on the fields; and vestments are all of Jewish ancestry and decent to us, their children in faith. I can’t speak to his state of mind in describing them of “pagan” origin but even a cursory study of the Old Testament shows the truth of this.