Joan Botam

Joan Botam i Casals (21 September 1926 – 30 November 2023) was a Catalan priest and Capuchin, whose religious name was Fra Salvador de les Borges.

When he finished his studies, he worked in the Registry Office and as administrator in the Les Borges Blanques town hall.

In 1963 he was appointed vicar provincial of the Capuchin Friars of Catalonia, and he was at the same time chaplain of the ecumenical institution Pax Christi.

After that the Barcelona civil governor Antonio Ibáñez Freire tried to expel him from Spain, but the religious authorities and the Vatican avoided that.

In 2010 he received the Creu de Sant Jordi (Saint George cross), a high distinction given by the regional Catalan government, for his contribution to the dialogue among religions and for fostering the peace, the coexistence and the understanding among cultures.