Madonna can adopt a second child from Malawi, the southern African country's highest court ruled Friday, overturning a lower court decision it said was out of touch with the times. Chief Justice Lovemore Munlo, reading the three-judge panel's ruling, also said the singer's commitment to helping disadvantaged children should have been taken into account when deciding on Madonna's request to adopt 3-year-old Chifundo “Mercy” James. Madonna has founded a charity, Raising Malawi, which helps feed, educate and provide medical care for some of Malawi's more than 1 million orphans. Madonna's lawyer Alan Chinula said he called his client after the ruling. “It's the wee hours of morning in New York but she is excited at the news,” Chinula said. “As her lawyer I am happy that this has settled this contentious issue.” The adoption may not be final for some time. “In this global village a man can have more than one place at which he resides,” Munlo said in the ruling, which took more than an hour to read in court Friday. “The matter of residence should be determined at the time of application of the adoption. In this case, Madonna was in Malawi not by chance but by intention. She is looking after several orphans whose welfare depends on her. She can therefore not be described as a sojourner.” “Every child has the right to love.” Madonna met the girl in 2006 at Kondanani Children's Village, an orphanage in Bvumbwe just south of Blantyre. Peter Baneti, an uncle reached by phone in his village just outside Blantyre, said the family welcomed Friday's ruling. “We hope Mercy will be joining Madonna soon,” he said.
