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Hell on the Way to Heaven
- Narrated by: Chrissie Foster
- Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
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Summary
An Australian mother's love, the power of the Catholic Church and the fight for justice over child sexual abuse.
Chrissie and Anthony Foster were like any other young family, raising their three daughters in suburban Melbourne with what they hoped were the right values. Chrissie could not have known that the stranger-danger she feared actually lurked in the presbytery attached to the girls' Catholic primary school.
Father Kevin O'Donnell, a long-term paedophile, lived and worked there. Two of their young daughters became victims of O'Donnell. And once the truth was revealed, the Fosters began a battle to find out how this could have happened.
The Church offered silence, lies, denials and threats. Meanwhile, their daughters tried to piece together their fractured lives.
This is the chilling true story that made national and international headlines. Chrissie Foster's heartbreaking account of her family's suffering, and their determination to stand up for themselves against the might of the Catholic Church, is testament to the strength of a mother's love and the resilience of the human spirit.
Critic reviews
"We would never have achieved (a national apology) without Chrissie’s bravery and tireless advocacy." (Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard)
"By speaking out against child sexual abuse, Chrissie helped out victims find their voice and gave them strength. Because of Chrissie, our nation is changed for the better." (Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria)
"Many people would have been destroyed by that suffering. Many would have been overwhelmed by what they saw. But the Fosters did not let this happen." (Justice Peter McLellan, Royal Commissioner)