Cardinal O'Brien has previously called for a referendum to be held on gay marriage

Scotland's Roman Catholic leader - Cardinal Keith O'Brien - has suspended direct communication with the Scottish government on gay marriage.

The move is in protest at the Scottish government's support for the introduction of same-sex marriages, reports the BBC.

The cardinal has turned down an invitation to discuss the issue, leaving any talks to officials.

The Scottish government said First Minister Alex Salmond and the cardinal do continue to communicate.

A spokesman revealed Salmond and the cardinal spoke on Saturday morning and had an "entirely amicable conversation on first-name terms".

However, in a letter to Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the cardinal asked for any future discussions between the church and government on the issue of same-sex marriage to take place between officials.

The cardinal's spokesman, Peter Kearney, told BBC Scotland: "Cardinal O'Brien is really keen that the perspective and the position of the Catholic church is conveyed to the Scottish government, but he isn't convinced that he necessarily has to do that in person.

"Also the situation we find ourselves in is one where we want to maintain a dialogue, and the cardinal wants to maintain a dialogue with the government, but that can be difficult when you feel all the things you have to say, to date at least, have been completely ignored."

The cardinal has previously called for a referendum on gay marriage, but the government has ruled out any possibility of one being held.

The Scottish government decided to change the law despite most of those who replied to its consultation opposing reform.