Sony has begun talks with the Church of England following complaints from the Church over violent action sequences in a shooting game for the new PlayStation 3 console that take place in Manchester Cathedral.

Manchester Cathedral was used by Sony in its 'Resistance: Fall of Man' game without permission from the Church of England. Sony has now begun direct talks with the Church of England after learning of the complaints through media.

"We take the Church's views seriously," Sony Computer Entertainment spokeswoman Nanako Kato said in Tokyo. She declined to give details of the talks but added that more time may be needed to reach an agreement because the problem is complex, she said.

Historical buildings are often used in entertainment, she said, citing iconic movie scenes involving Godzilla and the Tokyo Tower, and King Kong in Manhattan.

Kato acknowledged that the cathedral in the game "Resistance: Fall of Man", a fast-paced first-person shooter, holds a resemblance in some parts to Manchester Cathedral, but the point was not to illustrate a specific church, she said.

Sony understands the Church of England was offended especially because of its efforts to reduce the serious problem of gun violence in Manchester, Kato said.

The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, said, "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 guns battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible.

"Here in Manchester we do all we can to support communities through our parish clergy. We know the reality of gun crime and the devastating effects it can have on lives. It is not a trivial matter."

British Prime Minister Tony Bair has supported the Church of England's campaign.

"It is important that any of the companies who are engaged in promoting this type of goods have some sense of responsibility and also some sensitivity to the feelings of others," he said. "There is a wider social responsibility as well as simply responsibility for profit."