Catholics have sought the resto-ration and protection of a 16th-century Portuguese-era church in a western Indian state after it was reportedly struck down in the new development plan by the local urban body. The Our Lady of Mercy Church was built by Portuguese Jesuits in 1562 at Thane in Maharashtra. “When we went through the draft [of the development plan] we found that the name of the church was missing from the official list” of monuments, said Melwyn Fernandes, general secretary of the Mumbai-based Association of the Concerned Christians. The organi-zation along with the Bombay Catholic Sabha sought immediate intervention of senior officials from Thane district to restore the church in its official records.