Participation in abortion, then, is a grave offense in the Catholic Church worthy of excommunication.

But according to data collected by the Pew Research Center, the majority of Catholics in the U.S. — 61% — believe that abortion should be legal, a figure that mirrors all U.S. adults.

Of that high percentage, more than one-fifth (22%) believe that abortion should be legal in all cases, while 39% said that abortion should be legal in most cases. Just 38% of Catholics believe abortion should be illegal, including 11% who think it should be legal in all cases.

Interestingly, there is a correlation between abortion views and Catholics who attend mass regularly.