Madonna and Guy Ritchie close to adopting baby from reluctant family again?

Madonna and Guy Ritchie were reportedly ready to “adopt” a Malawian girl last year, named Mercy before their marriage allegedly hit the rocks. Madonna reportedly “fell in love” with Mercy when they met at her orphanage last year. Supposedly the marriage is back on track (we’ll see about that), and the couple is moving forward with the adoption.
Malawian adoption minister Penstone Kilembe tells the UK Sun: “Madonna’s representatives have been visiting the girl. The adoption is now advanced — all the government is waiting for is Madonna to forward the petition of adoption formalities.

“Then Mercy will be able to leave the country for a new life.”

Sounds great but there is another side to the story. Mercy’s girl’s grandmother Lucy Chekechiwa, 60, said she has been asked repeatedly by officials if Mercy could be adopted by an “unidentified foreign family” — but was firmly against it.

Speaking from her village in Zomba District, Lucy said: “We know that it is Mercy who Madonna really wants. We heard it is because my granddaughter is such a beautiful, happy child.

“Twice I have told the adoption people that I do not want Mercy to go outside the country.

“But they keep on at us. Now they say that Mercy will be leaving us, but can return at age 18. Yet I might not be alive then.”

Friends of Madonna, who turns 50 on Saturday, say she is eager to have a sister for her adopted Malawian son David Banda, three — and feels her marriage is again strong enough to cope.

A close family friend revealed: “The adoption process in Malawi is so long and stressful that all the legal wrangling put a huge strain on their marriage. They dropped proceedings to pour all their energies into each other. But Madonna now feels they are stable enough to press ahead with the adoption again.”

Previously Madonna and Guy were given permission to adopt Mercy last August — but had to stop when the girl’s uncle John Nglanade, 36, blocked the application. Adoption is a great thing but taking away a baby who has a family that seems to love and wants to keep her, not so good.

Update: Madonna’s publicist, Liz Rosenberg, insists there is no truth to the claims.
“Madonna has not made an attempt to adopt this baby earlier this year or now.

Of course Liz has also denied rumors of Madonna and Guy splitting and the A-Rod affair. So Madonna’s rep has been pretty busy killing rumors.