MOSCOW — The Russian Orthodox Church on Sunday asked for clemency for three jailed members of the rock band Pussy Riot if they repent for their “punk prayer” for deliverance from President Vladimir Putin at Moscow’s main cathedral, a statement that came a day before an appeal hearing and appeared to reflect a desire to put an end to the case that has caused an international outrage.

Dear Reader,
This content is only available to subscribers of the Rocky Mount Telegram print or electronic edition. If you are a current subscriber and have established a user name and password, you can click the Electronic Edition subscriber login box to the right. If you have not established your user name and password, click here to set up your information. To become a subscriber, click here. For questions call Customer Service at 252-407-9907.