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When the Education Committee was closed down in 1918, in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Russian Revolution, Polyansky worked in the apparatus of the [[All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918]] in Moscow. In 1920, when the tide of anti-religious policies of Soviet government was rising rapidly, he was asked by Patriarch Tikhon to do another important service to the Church – to accept monastic [[tonsure]] and the episcopacy, in order to assist Tikhon in the administration of the Church. After the request was made, he was reported as saying: "If I refuse, I will be a traitor of the Church; but I am aware that by accepting this offer, I am signing my own death sentence."<ref>http://kuz1.pstbi.ccas.ru/bin/code.exe/frames/mcanonf.html?/ans/</ref>
Peter was tonsured a [[monk]] by Metropolitan [[Sergius I (Stragorodsky) of Moscow|Sergius (Stragorodsky)]] and quickly advanced through the clerical ranks to be [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] as Bishop of Podolsk by Patriarch Tikhon on [[October 8]], 1920. Almost immediately, he was arrested and spent 1920-1923 in exile in Veliky Ustiug . Upon his return from exile in 1923, Bishop Peter became one of the prominent members of church government and a close ally of Patriarch Tikhon. In 1923 he was elevated to the rank of [[archbishop]] and in 1924 became a [[Metropolitan]] of Krutitsy – a [[titular bishop|titular]] [[see]] in the vicinity of Moscow.
On [[December 25]], 1924, Patriarch Tikhon made a “will” where he designated three possible successors to the Patriarchal Throne upon his death. This step was clearly unforeseen either by the [[canon law|church canons]] or the Statutes of the Russian Church, but was dictated by the circumstances under which a proper Patriarchal election by an independent church council was impossible. In his will, Tikhon named three candidates: Metropolitan [[Kirill Cyril (Smirnov) of Kazan]], Metropolitan [[Agathangel (Preobrazhensky) of Yaroslavl]] and Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky) of Krutitsy. Since Peter was the only candidate who was not in prison or exile at the time, on [[April 12]], 1925 (the day of Tikhon’s funeral), he was confirmed as the Patriarchal [[Patriarchal locum tenens]].
==Locum tenens==
after = [[Nicholas (Yarushevich) of Krutitsy|Nicholas (Yarushevich)]]}}
{{succession|
before = ?[[Stephen (Yavorsky) of Ryazan|Stephen Yavorsky]] |
title = Patriarchal locus tenens|
years = 1925-1937|
after = [[Sergius (Stragorodsky) of Moscow|Sergius (Stragorodsky)]]}}
{{end box}}
==External links==
[[Category:Modern Saints]]
[[Category: Moscow Academy and Seminary Graduates|Peter]]
[[Category:20th-century saints]]
[[ro:Petru (Polianski) al Krutițelor]]
