Church "forgives" Sony for Resistance

The Resistance: Fall of Man furore has seemingly come to an end today, with church leaders at Manchester Cathedral stating that they have forgiven Sony for using the inside of the building in its sci-fi shooter, reports the BBC.

The row started in June, when the Church of England discovered that Manchester Cathedral had been used as a location within the game. The church claimed that the electronics giant had not asked for permission to do so.

Bishop of Manchester Nigel McCulloch said at the time, "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." Later, the church also called for Resistance: Fall of Man to be pulled from the shortlist of the BAFTA Video Game Awards.

However, apparently all has now been forgiven. After the game failed to win a BAFTA award, the Dean of Manchester, the Very Reverend Rogers Govender, commented, "I think some important lessons have been learnt. So we do forgive Sony for what they have done, even though they still believe they have done nothing wrong.

"In an industry that is breaking new frontiers, it is important that long-held traditions of film and television are maintained. These traditions include having courtesy, respecting the dignity of your subject, and admitting when mistakes have been made. In so many ways Sony have failed to live up to these standards by disrespecting people of faith and the victims of gun crime here in Manchester."

The Reverend also noted that visits to Manchester Cathedral have shot up since the release of the game and the publicity the building has received as a result of the widely reported story.