The Catholic Bishop of Aberdeen, the Rt Rev Peter Moran, has appealed to Scotland's Catholics to write to their MPs in opposition to the planned renewal of Trident, the nuclear weapons system.

In his letter, read out at churches over the weekend, Bishop Moran appealed to Catholics to condemn plans by Tony Blair to replace the controversial Trident system.

"The world's most powerful governments, including our own, seem determined to base our security on having nuclear weapons available," he wrote.

Bishop Moran stressed instead the need to build "a culture of peace" and called on Scotland's Catholics to "challenge any pride and selfishness in our own lives".

Scottish churches have been particularly vocal in its opposition to Trident renewal.

In their first ever join New Year's statement, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Alan McDonald, and Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien, President of the Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference of Scotland, spoke out against the "menace of nuclear weapons".

Their statement read: "This year there is a wonderful opportunity for our Westminster parliamentarians finally to take steps to fulfil the obligations this country made many years ago to rid itself of nuclear weapons.

"We pray that our MPs will make a stand for the principles of peace, and will have the courage to refuse to endorse a replacement for Trident.

"Peace cannot be advanced by the commissioning of new weapons of mass destruction."

Last December, Richard McCready of the Scottish Catholic Church was joined by Rev McDonald, and the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Most Rev Idris Jones, in handing a petition with 20,000 signatures against Trident over to the Ministry of Defence.