If you think the establishment don't rubbish the Church very deliberately and conciously here is an example:
Not long ago, led by the Joe Duffy show, we had the usual gigantic wave of media hype screaming at the Catholic Church, in this case against Blackrock College in Dublin. There most of the allegations centred around a dead priest, who hotly denied the allegations during his lifetime and who was never convicted of them. But somehow his Order apologised for him (the religious orders are doing this a lot, for priests and nuns who are clearly completely innocent) and hence its all believed against him, despite the priests denials and no conviction. Other than that they had smallish cases dealt with years ago and the people involved rightly punished. Anyway people I know who have gone to Blackrock and knew the priests involved think many of these allegations are just false, but that story doesn't get told.
Now contrast that with similar allegations made against politicians or social workers or the media, or against judges in modern Ireland. I think in pretty much all such cases the allegations are blanked out of popular consciousness completely, unless there is an actual conviction. Even then its not dwelled on very much and in many cases the perpetrator is still anonymous (they claim its to protect the victim).
Then see what happens if you put the boot on the other foot, ask yourself what level of publicity attacks against priests get. Just a few days ago, for example, a couple of priests in a parochial house in Co Louth were attacked by a gang with axes and then sprayed with bleach. That got 24 media hype of course, no? Hadn't actually heard of it did you? You see whats happening...
If you have lived the last few decades in Ireland you are absolutely the victim of a very definite and deliberate campaign against the Church, just like always happens in any other Communist country.