Church renews Sony apology plea

The Church says using the cathedral as a backdrop is "irresponsible"

Church of England officials have renewed their campaign for Sony to withdraw a computer game set against the backdrop of Manchester Cathedral.

The Dean of Manchester Cathedral, The Very Reverend Rogers Govender, said he was disappointed Sony had not responded to the church's concerns.

Sony said it had "all permissions necessary" to develop the Playstation game, entitled Resistance: Fall of Man.

But this is disputed by Church of England officials.

They have said using the cathedral as a backdrop to violent gun battles was "highly inappropriate".

Mr Govender has also thanked Tony Blair for supporting him.

There is a wider social responsibility as well as simply responsibility for profit, Tony Blair

The issue was raised in the House of Commons on Wednesday by Tony Lloyd, Labour MP for Manchester Central.

He said: "When larger organisations like Sony find their copyright has been breached, they are very quick to use the law.

"When Sony used images of Manchester Cathedral as part of a game which extolled gun violence it was not only in bad taste, it was also very, very insulting to not simply the Church of England, but to people across the land who think it is inappropriate that big corporations behave in this way."

Mr Blair replied: "I agree with you. I think it is important that any of the companies who are engaged in promoting this type of good have some sense of responsibility and also some sensitivity to the feelings of others.

"It's important that people understand there is a wider social responsibility as well as simply responsibility for profit," he added.

Gun culture

Mr Govender, on behalf of the Dean and Canons of the Cathedral, said: "For a global manufacturer to re-create the interior of any religious building such as a mosque, synagogue, or in this case, a cathedral, and then encourage people to have gun battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible."

A letter was sent to Sony on 11 June but they have not yet responded.

The church has demanded Sony withdraws the game from sale, and "apologise unreservedly for using the interior of the building without permission."

The Diocese of Manchester has also called on Sony to make a donation to the church's education department, to help teach young people to resist the culture of gun crime.

The game has sold more than one million copies so far.