Pop empress Madonna is in the process of adopting a 3-year-old Malawian orphan named Mercy James, it has been confirmed. Malawi's Director of Child Welfare Services confirmed to the press that Madonna has been in the stages of adopting her fourth child for some time.

Madonna was much-criticized during the 2007 adoption of her son, David Banda, also from Malawi. It came out that Banda's father was still very much alive, and seemed to be confused by the permanence of adoption. Apparently it is difficult for foreigners to adopt Malawian children. Angelina Jolie, no stranger to international adoptions, then said of Madonna:
Madonna knew the situation in Malawi, where (David) was born. It's a country where there is no real legal framework for adoption. Personally, I prefer to stay on the right side of the law. I would never take a child away from a place where adoption is illegal. Jolie later said that she had said many positive things about Madonna that were left out of the interview.

Madonna told a Malawian paper, The Nation, that she hoped to adopt another child - but only with the consent of the people.
Many people - especially our Malawian friends - say that David should have a Malawian brother or sister. It's something I have been considering but would only do if I had the support of the Malawian people and the government.