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This is not a court - there is no jurisdiction nor decision to be handed out on this forum.  The need to “present an argument” while character assassination runs rampant is of no charitable value and in no way helps the current situation.  Holding exposing information about others in a cease and desist motive when questions are being presented regarding the situation and people are validly trying to understand what is happening on a matter they feel is important comes across as a personal justification for defamatory actions.  Please, rather than the current course of action here, please let this be handled with the people that are specifically involved rather than detracting from others, including valued members of the clergy who have given their lives to serve others.  The repose of Father Collins soul is where our concentration should be, not squaring off against people that Father genuinely cared for - which most certainly included Father McMahon as well. 

If you do not have absolute, 100% certainty about this accusation, then you are spreading rumors and gravely hurting the reputation of John Sharpe.  This is serious stuff.  You are basically saying that 1) these witnesses all agree that Fr Collins changed his mind, and 2) that John Sharpe lied and is a criminal who is not following the law.  Do you understand the gravity of what you are saying?

datur tertium ... or it could be that John Sharpe didn't consider the witnesses credible, thought perhaps that the witnesses are making it up or were not in a position to know the truth, or Father Collins verbally told him the contrary shortly before his passing.  Perhaps these witnesses heard something a few days or weeks prior to Father Collins' passing, and that these words were contravened by Father Collins.  Or perhaps the witnesses misinterpreted something Father Collins said (took it out of context).  That's why written records usually trump witness accounts.  If Father needed to make a change, the will could have been amended in writing and the change authorized/notarized by a designated representative.

I don't think that an executor has the ability/duty to judge witness accounts.  His obligation is to follow the will.  If witnesses want to stand up and challenge the will, they have to be willing to go to court, fill out an avidavit, and testify before a judge that "I, John Doe, testify that the deceased told me x on this date, at this time, etc."
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I agree, a written docuмent takes precedence over verbal instructions simply because of misunderstandings.  Still, that does not discount what people think they heard.  At this point, we still do not have any named witnesses to Fr Collins' change of heart.  Witnesses aren't allowed to stay hidden.  If they want to change a public docuмent, they have to be willing to testify publically.  Fr Cekada's emails don't count.

Agreed.  This is precisely why people have written wills in the first place, so the burden of proof is very high to overturn a will.  And since time is of the essence (will you leave Father Collins unburied for months?), it's unlikely that the written will would be overturned.

Also, you can have the other side saying that Father Collins was not in his right mind when he "changed" it, that perhaps he was hopped up on pain killers and not thinking straight.  So this could go on for months or even years.  Now, when it's a question if disposition of assets, it often does, but something like this needs to be decided relatively quickly.  So, given the time constraints, a judge would have to issue a temporary restraining order, and he'll undoubtedly go with the written will in the case of any controversy.