Joan Botam
Joan Botam i Casals (born 21 September 1926 in Les Borges Blanques, Spain) is a Catalan Capuchins. His religious name is Fra Salvador de les Borges.
Biography
After graduating Joan Botam first worked in the property register, and as an inspector in the city hall of Les Borges Blanques.
In 1944, he appeared as a novice with the Capuchins in Arenys de Mar. In 1952 he was ordained a priest. In 1955 he received his doctorate in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University and at the Pontifical University of Salamanca. In 1957 he became vice-president (and later Director) appointed by the Academy of Philosophy and Theology of the Capuchins.
His great interest in the Catalan culture was demonstrated by Arnau de Vilanova in his work, moralista ( Arnau de Vilanova The moralist, 1956), for which the Institute of Catalan Studies awarded him the Jaume Serra i Hunter Award.
In 1963 he became Vicar Provincial of the Capuchins of Catalonia. At the same time he was chaplain of the ecumenical institution Pax Christi. During this time he participated in many initiatives that were about to pacifism or for ecumenism in relationship. He was one of the founders of Víctor - Seix Institute for Polemology, and member of the jury of the John XXIII Memorandum. He worked closely with the antifranquistischen cultural resistance and had an essential role in the Caputxinada, which took place in 1966. The state governor of Barcelona, Antonio Ibáñez Freire, therefore, tried to expel him from Spain, but this was averted by the intervention of religious authorities and the Holy See.
In 1984 he founded the ecumenical center of Catalonia, to promote dialogue between Orthodox, Anglicans, Catholics and Protestants. During the 1992 Summer Olympics, he donated the intercultural platform of Barcelona: the promotion of dialogue between religions and to the athletes from different religions a common place for her to offer prayers. This was also confirmed by the Abraham - center in Poblenou, Barcelona. At the same time he was appointed president of the Association of members of religious orders of Catalonia ( URC). As such, he also promoted the first congress on religious life in Catalonia.
In 1997 he was president of the design commission for the inter-religious center, a municipal service for the observance of religious people and religious orders in Barcelona. In 2000, he was together with Enric Capó Representant Barcelona at the Millennium Summit of spiritual and religious leaders at the United Nations.
In 2010 he was awarded the regional Catalan government the Creu de Sant Jordi Award for his participation in dialogue between religions and his promotion of peace, coexistence and understanding between cultures. He is also a prize winner for co-existence and inter-religious dialogue from the Grup de Treball Estable de Religions ( group of stable work of religions, gTér ).