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Sony apologizes for game depicting gunfight in church

A clergyman walks through the interior of Manchester Cathedral in Manchester, England, on Wednesday. Following a series of complaints, the computer games maker Sony has begun talks with officials from the Church of England over violent action sequences in a shooting game for the new PlayStation 3 console which appear to take place in the cathedral. PHOTO: AP

Sony Corp on Friday apologized to the Church of England for a violent computer game that features a bloody shootout inside an Anglican cathedral.

The church had demanded withdrawal of the game Resistance: Fall of Man, which includes a gun battle between a US soldier and aliens inside a building that resembles Manchester Cathedral in northwest England.

The cathedral's dean, the Very Reverend Rogers Govender, said he had received a letter from Sony on Friday afternoon.

"It was not our intention to cause offense by using a representation of Manchester Cathedral in chapter eight of the work," the letter said. "If we have done so, we sincerely apologize."

A Sony spokesman confirmed the letter was genuine and said it included the offer of a meeting between Sony representatives and church officials. Govender said the cathedral would accept the offer of a meeting.

He thanked Sony for the apology, but underlined the church's opposition to violence, "and especially the gun violence seen in this portrayal of the cathedral."

"[Sony does not accept] that there is any connection between contemporary issues in 21st-century Manchester and the work of science fiction in which a fictitious 1950s Britain is under attack by aliens."

Sony Corp, in a letter of apology to the Church of England

He said the church wanted to discuss its outstanding demands, which include withdrawal of the game and a donation to the church's education department, which works to fight gun violence in Manchester.

"For a global manufacturer to recreate the interior of any religious building such as a mosque, synagogue, or in this case, a cathedral, with photo realistic quality and then encourage people to have gun battles in the building is beyond belief and in our view highly irresponsible," Govender said on Wednesday.

The row even drew in British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who told lawmakers on Wednesday that companies like Sony should focus on their wider social responsibilities and not just profit. The church was particularly concerned because Manchester has a history of gang-related gun violence.

In its letter, Sony said it did not accept "that there is any connection between contemporary issues in 21st-century Manchester and the work of science fiction in which a fictitious 1950s Britain is under attack by aliens."

"We believe a comprehensive viewing of the work will make its content and context clear." Sony said.
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