Madonna's adoption ruling delayed until Friday (AP)

[Yahoo! News]

AP - A Malawian judge held a closed-door hearing Monday on Madonna's application to adopt a second child from this southern African nation but delayed ruling on the matter until Friday, a court official said.

The 50-year-old pop star spent about an hour in court Monday in the Malawi capital of Lilongwe. Court official Thomson Ligowe confirmed that Madonna's adoption application was adjourned until Friday but said he could not reveal any more details.

Monday's court docket listed only the child's name — Chifundo James, which means "Mercy" in a local language. It was not immediately known whether any of the girl's relatives were present Monday.

A Malawian welfare official and another person involved in the proceedings say the girl is about 4 years old. The girl's father is believed to be alive but no other details were available. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is considered sensitive.

The girl's unmarried 18-year-old mother died soon after she was born, according to an uncle, John Ngalande.

Madonna has not commented on the adoption application and did not speak to reporters Monday morning.

The adoption of her 3-year-old son, David, whom she met at a Malawian orphanage in October 2006, was finalized last year.

Children's advocacy groups have accused Madonna of wielding her wealth and influence to circumvent a Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption. David's adoption was a trying process for the singer, who has said the storm of criticism hurt.

On Monday, a coalition of non-governmental organizations criticized the pop star's latest adoption application.

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