The nation's ambassador to the Vatican says the prayer and support of the Korean Catholic community will help the birth of a new cardinal in South Korea.

In a Friday interview with a local radio station PBC, Ambassador Kim Ji-young said that given Vatican custom, there is no successor to a retired cardinal. But he said the pope appoints additional cardinals at an appropriate time if cardinal numbers decrease due to various reasons, such as death.

He denied a fixed quota rule of appointing two cardinals for Korea. But he said that if the Korean Catholic circle continues its appeal to the Holy See and if the pope approves, another Korean could be appointed as cardinal.

Kim said the appointment of Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk as a papal envoy to celebrate the funeral Mass for the late Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan in the name of Pope Benedict the 16th is an unusual case.