A Russian court on Monday postponed the appeal of three members of jailed rock band Pussy Riot until Oct. 10 after one group member fired her lawyers. 
 
 Lawyers of feminist punk group Pussy Riot members are seen on a TV screen outside a court room in Moscow, Russia, on Monday Oct. 1, 2012. The Russian court is set to hear an appeal filed by three jailed... (Associated Press) 
 
 A policeman guards a court room in Moscow, Russia, on Monday Oct. 1, 2012. The Russian court is set to hear an appeal filed by three jailed members of the rock band Pussy Riot, but postponed the appeal... (Associated Press) 
 
 Feminist punk group Pussy Riot member Maria Alekhina sits in a glass cage at a court room in Moscow, Russia on Monday Oct. 1, 2012. A Russian court is set to hear an appeal filed by three jailed members... (Associated Press) 
 
 Feminist punk group Pussy Riot members, from left, Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova sit in a glass cage at a court room in Moscow, Russia on Monday Oct. 1, 2012. A Russian... (Associated Press) 
 
 Feminist punk group Pussy Riot members, from left, Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova sit in a glass cage at a court room in Moscow, Russia on Monday Oct. 1, 2012. A Russian... (Associated Press) 
 
 Feminist punk group Pussy Riot members, from left, Maria Alekhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova sit in a glass cage at a court room in Moscow, Russia on Monday Oct. 1, 2012. A Russian... (Associated Press) 
 
 The three performers were sentenced in August to two years in prison for hooliganism for performing a "punk prayer" against President Vladimir Putin at Moscow's main cathedral. 
 
 Band member Yekaterina Samutsevich announced at the opening of the hearing that she has fired her three lawyers over an unspecified disagreement. Samutsevich said she found another lawyer but had failed to sign a contract. 
 
 Prosecutors condemned the move as a delaying tactic. 
 
 Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alekhina, 24, and 30-year-old Samutsevich were arrested in March after dancing and high-kicking at Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral as they pleaded with the Virgin Mary to save Russia from Putin, who was elected to a third presidential term two weeks later. They said during their trial in August that they were protesting the Russian Orthodox Church's support for Putin and didn't intend to offend religious believers. 
 
 The Russian Orthodox Church said Sunday the rockers would deserve mercy if they repent for their February stunt in February. The move followed a statement by the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who said that keeping them in prison any longer would be "unproductive." 
 
 The calls reflected an apparent desire by both the government and the church to put an end to the case, which has caused international outrage. 
 
 Pyotr Verzilov, Tolokonnikova's husband, said ahead of Monday's hearing that he doubted the appeal would be successful. 
 
 "We never had hope in the Russian state. Now all we do is mount the public campaign and bring attention to the girl's case," Verzilov told The Associated Press, speaking in English. 
 
 The band members' imprisonment has come to symbolize intolerance of dissent in Putin's Russia and caused a strong international condemnation. Their cause has been taken up by celebrities and musicians, including Madonna and Paul McCartney, and protests have been held around the world. 
 
 Even some government loyalists criticized the harsh sentence, voicing concern about the church's interference in secular affairs and a growing repressive streak in the Kremlin's policies. 
 
 Dozens of supporters gathered outside the court building in solidarity with the group. 
 
 The group's actions, however, have also fostered irritation among many Russians over what they perceive to be international meddling in their justice system. 
 
 A group of anti-Pussy Riot demonstrators outside the court carried inflatable female dolls in balaclavas to the court building in protest at international organizations bestowing awards on the band. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Steve Rosenberg says the appeal session lasted barely an hour 
 
 A Russian court has adjourned the appeal hearing for three activists from the punk band Pussy Riot. 
 
 The hearing in the high-profile case will resume on 10 October. 
 
 In August, three members of the group were jailed for two years for staging an anti-Kremlin protest in Moscow's main cathedral, Christ the Saviour. 
 
 The Russian Orthodox Church said on Sunday that clemency should be possible for the trio as long as they repented what they called their "punk prayer". 
 
 But their lawyers have said that they doubt the appeal will be successful. 
 
 The hearing was adjourned because of a dispute about the defence lawyers. 
 
 The three band members - Maria Alyokhina, 24, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30 - were found guilty of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" in August. 
 
 Their imprisonment sparked condemnation in many parts of the world. 
 
 The trio were all present in the Moscow court on Monday, in a glass-fronted defendants' cage. 
 
 Ms Samutsevich argued with the judge, complaining that her request for a different defence lawyer had not been met. 
 
 'Pointless call' 
 
 Their obscenity-laced performance on 21 February, which implored the Virgin Mary to "throw out" President Vladimir Putin and sought, they said, to highlight the Russian Orthodox Church leader's support for the president, enraged the Church. 
 
 But, in a statement, the Church said that though the women's action "cannot be left unpunished", if they showed penitence and reconsideration of their action their words "shouldn't be left unnoticed". 
 
 "The Church sincerely wishes for the repentance of those who desecrated a holy place, certainly it would benefit their souls," senior Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida said. 
 
 The Church's comments follow a suggestion from Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev last month that a suspended sentence would have been sufficient punishment for the women. 
 
 Their lawyers have said that their clients will not repent if it means admitting guilt. 
 
 "If they [the Church] mean repentance in the sense of a crime ... it definitely won't happen. Our clients won't admit guilt. A call for that is pointless," lawyer Mark Feigin told independent TV channel Dozhd on Sunday. 
 
 The father of one of the jailed women said that whether they repent or not, the trio have little hope of their sentences being quashed. 
 
 "The sentence is predetermined; their repentance will not affect it in any way," Stanislav Samutsevich told Reuters. ||||| (CNN) -- The appeal hearing for three members of the punk rock band Pussy Riot, who were sentenced to two years for performing a song critical of President Vladimir Putin, will continue next week. 
 
 One of the band members Yekaterina Samutsevich said Monday that she no longer wants to work with an attorney who doesn't share her views in the case. The hearing will resume October 10. 
 
 Read more: Pussy Riot supporters vent anger on Twitter 
 
 The women were convicted in August for hooliganism, sparking an international outcry. 
 
 Authorities charged them after they criticized Putin in one of Moscow's grandest cathedrals. 
 
 Read more: Band member's husband condemns Pussy Riot prison sentences 
 
 "Mother Mary please drive Putin away," the women screamed in February inside the Christ Savior Cathedral, their faces covered in neon masks. 
 
 The group's prayer was inspired by their anger about the relationship between the Russian government and the Orthodox Church, according to the band's manager, who is married to one of the suspects. 
 
 A judge rejected the women's defense that they were acting from political motives, ruling that they had intended to insult the Orthodox Church and undermine public order. 
 
 An Orthodox church leader has been widely reported as saying Putin's years in power have been a miracle from God. 
 
 A day before the hearing, the Russian Orthodox Church appealed for leniency for the band members, according to state-owned Ria Novosti. 
 
 The church believes repentance will "benefit the souls" of the band members, the news agency said. 
 
 Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has called for the members' release, but said he is "sickened" by their actions. 
 
 The three -- Samutsevich, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina -- were arrested in March. 
 
 Two other members of the female punk rock band have fled Russia. 
 
 CNN"s Alla Eshchenko contributed to this report
– The hearing set for today in the Pussy Riot case has been postponed until Oct. 10, CNN reports. The Russian court moved the hearing following a band member's announcement in court today that a disagreement had prompted her to fire her lawyers. Yekaterina Samutsevich said she'd found a new lawyer but hasn't signed a contract with the attorney, the AP reports. Prosecutors accused Samutsevich of seeking to delay the legal process. The Russian Orthodox Church yesterday changed its tune on the case, calling for clemency for the political punk rockers if they're willing to repent. But their lawyers say there's no way the band members will acknowledge guilt, the BBC reports. If the church means "repentance in the sense of a crime... it definitely won't happen. Our clients won't admit guilt. A call for that is pointless," says one.