Sony has been accused of virtual desecration for using Manchester cathedral as a backdrop for a violent computer game. Church of England officials described it as "highly irresponsible" and are considering a legal claim against the company.

Sony's PlayStation 3 shooting game, Resistance: Fall of Man, has sold 1m copies but the firm did not get permission to use the 800-year-old cathedral. The Bishop of Manchester, The Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch, said: "I do not believe they would have done this if it was a mosque or a synagogue. They obviously see us as a soft target - but we are not."

He said of all the cathedrals in the country, Manchester is "the most inappropriate because we hold memorial services for people who have been killed by guns".

Church authorities are demanding the withdrawal of the game and that Sony do not re-issue it without removing the cathedral interior. They also want the company to apologise and make a donation to the cathedral's education department.

A Sony spokesman said it had been in contact with cathedral authorities.