More than 100 to attend peace vigil at Faslane naval base
It will mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during the Second World War.
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The gathering is organised by Justice and Peace Scotland and led by senior figures from Scotland's three largest Christian churches.
Participants will include the Most Rev William Nolan, Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow and Bishop-president of Justice and Peace Scotland; Rt Rev Rosie Frew, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; and the Most Rev Mark Strange, primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
They will be joined by representatives from the Quakers, the Iona Community, the United Reformed Church and other faith groups.
The event will include prayers and reflection on the 'immorality of possessing nuclear weapons' amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Organisers warn the risk posed by the UK's 'soon-to-be upgraded and expanded' nuclear arsenal is greater than in recent memory.
Archbishop Nolan said: 'The phrase 'never again' gained much currency 80 years ago.
'But the actions of nuclear powers, including our own, run contrary to that.
'As the late Pope Benedict articulated, the very concept of a nuclear deterrence has instead fuelled an arms race as those on opposing sides keep seeking to outdo the other.
'We have seen this in the replacement for Trident.
'Deterrence itself, therefore, has increased insecurity and does nothing to build up trust which is necessary to encourage disarmament and build up peace.'
HM Naval Base Clyde, located on the Gare Loch near Helensburgh, is home to the Royal Navy's four Vanguard-class submarines, which carry [[Trident]] 2 D5 nuclear missiles.
These weapons are estimated to be 80 times more powerful than those dropped on Japan in 1945.
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Rt Rev Rosie Frew said: 'On the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it seems right to stand with other Christians saying no to nuclear weapons and yes to peace.
'My hope and prayer is to live in a world without war or the threat of war, a world without the threat of the deployment of nuclear weapons.
'I know opinion is very divided on holding nuclear weapons but I don't believe anyone would ever wish them to be deployed, both those who will gather outside and those who serve in HM Naval Base Clyde.
'The Church of Scotland stands in solidarity with all those who work at Faslane in the service of the United Kingdom, while praying for peace in a world where there is no threat of nuclear weapons ever being used.'
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