Wessex,
After 50 years of lies, destruction and heresy from the 'church leaders', in hindsight, yes, I agree that NOW it is preposterous to want any approval from Rome. If they approve of you, then you must have compromised your faith - just like them!
However, in the few decades after V2, when there were still many diocesan clerics who were still questioning the changes (yet did not have fortitudue to leave outright), it was only natural for the Archbishop to want 'approval' from the church, in the sense that he wanted a 'legal' way of keeping the faith, without resorting to use of the emergency canons. In other words, exhaust all methods to keep the boat from sinking, before you decide to jump ship. This is a natural human reaction and is also prudent, considering we have NO historical guidance on how to deal with an apostasized rome of this magnitude.