Scottish church leaders have called on the UK Government to abandon plans to renew Trident ahead of a key meeting on Monday between signatory countries of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Ahead of the meeting in Vienna, the Moderator of the General Assembly, the Rt Rev Alan McDonald, and the President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland. Cardinal Keith O'Brien, have issued a joint statement calling for the NPT to be strengthened and demanding that the UK Government renounce its plans to renew Trident.

"Like millions of people around the world, we are deeply concerned that nuclear weapons are continuing to be manufactured, modernised, upgraded and renewed.

"We consider these weapons of mass destruction to be immoral, inhumane, and contrary to the teachings of all the world's major faiths.

"Nuclear dangers and human insecurity will increase if nuclear weapons continue to be treated by some countries as a currency of power or as if they were an indispensable part of defence for the foreseeable future."

The leaders urged the governments meeting on Monday to "do their utmost" to put a stop to the acquisition of nuclear weapons and criticised the decision by the UK Government recently to renew Trident, saying it was "contrary to international law and opposed by the majority of people in Scotland".

The Church of Scotland and Roman Catholic Church in Scotland have long been united in their opposition to nuclear weapons. Rev McDonald and Cardinal O'Brien shared the platform with Scottish politicians during a Bin the Bomb rally in Glasgow in February. In December 2006, they handed in an anti-Trident petition to the MoD before going on to condemn Trident renewal in their first ever joint New Year statement in January.

The church leaders argue that the money spent on Trident could be better used on aid and development projects in the eradication of poverty.

They are now calling on the British Government to take the lead in cutting back its nuclear weapons arsenal.

"We have urged the British government to take this historic opportunity to devalue these 'weapons of terror' and renounce its plans to renew Trident.

"Such a step would strengthen the NPT and underline that its core obligation is not just to reduce nuclear arsenals, but to eliminate them.

"We believe that, instead of perpetuating nuclear proliferation, Britain could show real leadership and humanity."