A judge has released a statement urging Madonna and her ex-husband, Guy Ritchie, to settle their custody battle over son Rocco, 15. The judge feels that it is tragic for Rocco’s teenage years to be torn apart by the bitter battle over custody and that the two should try to keep things amicable for the sake of their son.

The run-down is that Rocco stayed in London with Ritchie after visiting his father, but Madonna wants her son to return to the US to live with her. Litigation on the case had started in both London and the US, but the judge feels that the legal proceedings in London should come to a halt. When asked whether he should be the one to decide Rocco’s living arrangements, the judge issued a statement that made his opinion on the matter known.

“At the root of these proceedings… is a temporary breakdown in trust,” MacDonald said in a ruling according to The Guardian. “For all the media coverage, comment and analysis, this is a case born out of circumstances that arise for countless separated parents the world over.”

He further said,”I renew, one final time, my plea for the parents to seek, and to find, an amicable resolution to the dispute between them.”

Despite the judge’s statement, there are expected to still be court hearings in New York, but none of the parties were present in court the day (March 21) that MacDonald issued it.

Madonna recently broke down on stage over the custody battle and dedicated a performance of “La Vie en Rose” to Rocco on stage while performing in Auckland, New Zealand.

She also expressed her sadness over her loss to Ritchie with a short speech posted by TMZ, saying, “There’s no love stronger than a mother for her son, and if I talk about him too much, I’m going to cry. I hope he hears this somewhere and he knows how much I miss him.”

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