Thousands In Moscow Rally to Call By Patriarch.

MOSCOW -- Thousands of people thronged the square and street in front of Moscow's main cathedral on Sunday in response to Patriarch Kirill I's call for the Russian Orthodox Church to defend itself against what he has called a campaign of blasphemy, including the performance in February of a ''punk prayer'' in front of the altar by a feminist rock group. The Moscow police told the RIA Novosti news agency that nearly 65,000 people showed up on Sunday for the prayer service, which would make it the largest demonstration in the Russian capital since Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin was elected to a second term as president on March 4. Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, and church officials have become increasingly embroiled in politics since a wave of protests alleging election fraud began in December. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]