"We see ourselves as essentially Anglicans searching for ways to practise unity with the Holy See," Archbishop Hepworth told The Australian yesterday.

But Rome's embrace of the TAC, which has sought unity with the Holy See for a decade, could drive a wedge between liberal and conservative elements of the Anglican Church.

Surprisingly for a church whose congregation is found largely in the Third World and is mostly non-English speaking, Archbishop Hepworth oversees this global communion from his small office in the Adelaide Hills.

The church was founded almost three decades ago in protest against the proposed ordination of women, and has flourished in southern and central Africa, India, Pakistan, north and central America, New Zealand and Japan. Its message has also resonated in Australia, where Archbishop Hepworth says "no provision has been made for people who had a different conscience".

Archbishop Hepworth met Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, on several occasions in the past decade to discuss a "full and organic unity" between the two churches.

If this unity is achieved, it will be a significant step forward in the life of the TAC.

"In practice, it means the Anglican Communion will be accepted as a distinct form of liturgy within the church," Archbishop Hepworth said.

Archbishop Hepworth, ordained a Roman Catholic priest, was "found" by the TAC when then Anglican archbishop of Adelaide Ian George refused to grant him a licence for the priesthood "unless I was prepared to advocate the ordination of women".

"I didn't find them, they found me ... to a great extent our communion came into existence in order to accommodate families thrown out of the Anglican Church."

He travels around the world "roughly once every six to eight weeks", to "make sure we're a single group keeping on message". "Obviously Rome is now part of that round-the-world agenda," he said.

END