LONDON (Reuters) — Japanese Entertainment giant Sony apologised on Friday to a northern English cathedral which had accused the company of "virtual desecration" because the religious building's interior features in a violent video game.Scenes in the gun-filled game "Resistance: Fall of Man" include a shoot-out in the easily recognisable nave of Manchester Cathedral.

Earlier this week the ecclesiastical authorities called on Sony to say sorry, to withdraw the game and to donate money to help combat gun crime that has gripped the city in recent years.

A letter from Sony to Rogers Govender, dean of the cathedral, apologised for any offence caused, but made no mention of withdrawing the game or the cathedral backdrop and said it had obtained all the permissions it needed before the game was issued.

"It was not our intention to cause offence by using a representation of Manchester Cathedral in chapter eight of the work. If we have done so we sincerely apologise," said the letter posted on the Church of England's website.

"We do not accept that there is any connection between contemporary issues of 21st century Manchester and a work of science fiction in which a fictitious 1950s Britain is under attack by aliens," it added, referring to the call for money to fight gun crime.

The letter, signed by David A Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, also offered a full demonstration of the game to the Cathedral authorities.

"The video footage of the cathedral battle on YouTube has shocked and dismayed us beyond words. They can only be described as virtual desecration", Govender said earlier this week.

"We are shocked to see a place of worship, prayer, learning and heritage being presented to the youth of today as a location where guns can be fired," he added.

On Friday the cathedral authorities thanked Sony for its apology but noted that it had still not met the other demands.

Sony has offered to meet up with the cathedral authorities.

"In the meeting with Sony we will discuss our outstanding demands, how this game came to be produced and where the images of the Cathedral came from," Manchester Cathedral said.