Sony Being Demanded Apology, Donation, from Use of Church's Cathedral

After Sony featured a Manchester Cathedral in a violent video game, The Church of England has asked not only for an apology, but also for a large donation, according to YahooNews.

Sony has been accused by church officials of using the interior of the Manchester Cathedral, which is historical, as the backdrop for parts of their new Playstation 3 game. "Resistance:Fall of Man" features the interior of the church where memorials for gun crime victims have been held, and the church says Sony used the background without permission.

The cathedral's spokesman, a Mr. David Marshall, says that the church has received many e-mails in their support. Officials, he added, are set to meet on Monday to discuss what further action will be taken against Sony. They will decide on the details of a letter that is to be written to the large corporation. Four demands are expected to be included in the letter. Two demands will be for an apology from Sony and a substantial donation from the game's profits. Reasoning behind the demand for money is that Sony didn't pay a commercial fee to use the cathedral as a backdrop, and also because of the violent nature of the game itself.

The two additional demands are to be asking Sony to discontinue the game entirely, or at least take out the section that shows the cathedral's interior.

The Bishop of Manchester, Nigel McCulloch, told BBC television on Saturday, that, "It is well known that Manchester has a gun crime problem. For a global manufacturer to re-create one of our great cathedrals with photo-realistic quality and then encourage people to have gun battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible. We know the reality of gun crime and the devastating effects it can have on the lives -- it is not a trivial matter." The church would also like Sony to support groups in Manchester that are for the reduction of gun crime in the city, according to Yahoo News.

Sony Computer entertainment Europe issued a statement that was aired on BBC television. They stated that they are"aware of the concerns expressed by the Bishop of Manchester and we naturally take the concerns very seriously."