Madonna adopts Malawi orphan

So, pop star Madonna has adopted a Malawi orphan. I wonder if she will be asked to remove any crucifixes from her home?

From MSNBC:

The singer, who plans to visit Africa in October, credits her faith in Kabbalah with shifting her priorities.

“One of the main precepts of Kabbalah is that we’re put on this Earth to help people,” she says. “And your job is to figure out how you can help, and what it is that you can do.”

An orphan care center, being built with a goal of feeding and educating about 1,000 children a day, will have programs based on Spirituality for Kids, Kabbalah’s children’s program, according to the magazine.

Meanwhile, religious leaders in Italy have criticized Madonna for wearing a crown of thorns and singing while hanging from a mirrored cross during her “Confessions” world tour concerts. She is scheduled to perform Sunday in Rome.

It seems that adopting a Third World orphan is the latest fad among celebrities. Not everyone is thrilled with this trend. From The Sydney Morning Herald:

Madonna was pilloried with accusations of fast-tracking the adoption by donating money to a Malawian orphanage, though reports suggested the Ritchies had been planning the addition to their family for some months.

Prospective parents in Australia said that while the adoption process was long in this country, the system of comprehensive checks was generally welcome and was in the interests of the children.

They also said incidences of queue jumping by financial means were unfair on those waiting to adopt who were following due process.

For Trevor and Melanie Rees, Madonna has joined Angelina Jolie as persona non grata in their Cessnock home.

"They are two celebrities we don't have in our house," said Mrs Rees, a teacher. She and her husband have been waiting to adopt an African baby for more than five years.

Mr Rees, 31, a boilermaker, said: "We've boycotted their music and movies because they are throwing our struggles in our faces. It's an absolute joke.

"I think it's terrific that celebrities are taking the same avenues that we're taking and drawing attention to the plight of these kids.

"It's just not fair that they can take shortcuts or pay extra money or say they're going to build this or do that."

The attention that celebrities bring to a cause is often a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's important for the plight of orphans in the Third World to receive media attention. On the other hand, celebrities often have their own agendas and the issues often get distorted when they are involved.

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