Since the story broke, Manchester Cathedral has seen a significant rise in visitor numbers...Teachers tell us that teenagers in particular are interested to see a building which they thought was fictional.

The absolutely absurd circus surrounding the Church of England's sudden discovery that some of their buildings are indeed part of the modern landscape that make up the cities where games take place, seems to be drawing to a close.

The BBC reports today that Sony apologized to CoE for "causing any offence" for including a representation of the Manchester Cathedral in their popular PS3 shooter Resistance Fall of Man, but that Sony is pretty sure they had "sought all necessary permissions" to use the church.

Despite the apology and the apparent permission, the church still expect Sony to pull the game, which is, in a word, idiotic. Let me save you a bit of time Church of England. Under U.S. law (where the game was made) a company normally doesn't need to seek permission to depict a fictional event in a real place. Brian Crecente

Sony Apologizes to Church [BBC]

When asked by Member of Parliament for Manchester Central Tony Lloyd if he agreed Resistance: Fall of Man's choice of location was "not only in bad taste but also very, very insulting to not simply the Church of England, but people across the land who think it's inappropriate that big corporations behave in this way" Blair was inclined to agree. According to a report on the matter from Games Industry, Blair noted:

I've no doubt this debate will go on for a significant period of time, but I do agree. I think it is important that people understand there is a wider social responsibility as well as an interior responsibility for profits.

Oh, snap! Those Brits are ruthless. You can read more of Tony's ice cold opinions on the matter at GI. Let's hope this can all be resolved without calls for smiting. Michael McWhertor

Prime Minister responds to Church's Resistance complaints [Games Industry]

Church officials in the UK are up in arms over the inclusion of Manchester Cathedral as a setting for the PS3's FPS, Resistance Fall of Man. They claim that Sony used the nave of the cathedral for the scene of a huge battle without first gaining permission from the church itself. Additionally, they are incensed that a church would be used as a setting for such a violent game.

Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, The Bishop of Manchester admits that Manchester has a gun crime problem and he does not take the matter lightly.

For a global manufacturer to re-create one of our great cathedrals with photo-realistic quality and then encourage people to have guns battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible.

Sony hasn't returned church official's phone calls, but did give this quote to the Times newspaper through Sony rep, David Wilson.

It is entertainment, like Doctor Who or any other science fiction. It is not based on reality at all. Throughout the whole process we have sought permission where necessary.

The church is now calling for the game to be pulled from store shelves and an official apology from Sony or it will consider legal action against the gaming giant.

Seeing as Resistance is the PS3s top seller (over a million copies) and the crown jewel of the system's game collection, I doubt this will go down without a fight. But, who will win out in a battle between the Church and Sony? It's kind of like asking who would win in a fight between Superman and Jesus. The Church of Italy was able to successfully block the sale of Rule of Rose in Europe, but Sony is a huge company and with so many copies of the game already in players' hands, it's going to be quite a feat to have it removed removed from stores. So, keep an eye out gamers, we could be seeing the beginning of the battle of the century. Flynn De Marco

Cathedral row over computer game [BBC News]