I'm afraid that Archbishop Sample's pastoral letter sounds much like teachings from Joseph Ratzinger's "Conscience in Truth,' found in 'Crisis of Conscience', ed. John M. Haas [New York: Crossroad, 1996], 2.

Joseph Ratzinger was concerned about consciences making erroneous judgments and thus, people's consciences needed to be submissive and under the authority of the Magisterium.


However, both Vatican II documents 'Gaudium et spes' art. 16 and 'Dignitatis humanae' art. 3 state that the conscience is where God and the person meet.  The conscience has primacy, because of its relationship to the Divine, as the "most secret core and sanctuary of a person."  The mystery of divine love is that basis for the claim of the primacy of conscience.

  

Let the Archbishop demonstrate where tradition has been "unbroken"---and I'll show an archbishop who doesn't know church history.  For the powerful, moneyed classes---there was a way out.