Pussy Riot Appeal Adjourned

An appeal hearing for the Russian all-female punk band Pussy Riot was adjourned until Oct. 10. Three of the band’s members, who were jailed for hooliganism after performing a song satirizing Russian President Vladimir Putin, have gained world attention as they mount an appeal to their two-year prison sentence. The Russian Orthodox Church said on Sunday that it would apply its intercessory powers to the young women’s case if only they would repent for their “punk prayer”—but lawyers for the group said that such a mea culpa was not forthcoming. “The Church sincerely wishes for the repentance of those who desecrated a holy place, certainly it would benefit their souls,” a church spokesman said on Sunday.